Forget Her Not
by CrimsonHarps
Summary: Bella has hated Edward for years, but thanks to a recent head injury, she doesn't seem to remember who he is let alone her feelings of intense hatred. Meanwhile, Edward decides to have some fun with his favorite adversary when the opportunity arises. What's a girl who can't remember supposed to do when her sworn enemy claims they've secretly been friends with benefits for months?
1. Chapter 1

**AN: This idea came to me last night and now here we are 2,000 words later. Hopefully there aren't too many errors. I don't have a Beta so please forgive them if you spot any.**

**Disclaimer: Yes, unfortunately these lovely characters are not mine they belong to Stephenie Meyer... but this plot is mine and I hope you enjoy it.**

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**Chapter 1**

**.****..**

_"I hope she'll be a fool―that's the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool."_

― **F. Scott Fitzgerald **

**...**

BPOV

It felt strange. It felt like I had all eyes on me the second I stepped out of Rose's car. What were they all so fascinated with? Me? So I nearly died and lost a few pieces of memory—big deal.

Okay… fine… it was a pretty big deal, but couldn't they just stop with the staring? The blush was already beginning to creep up my neck. I had never enjoyed being the center of attention and not even a freak accident was going to change that.

I was still the same Bella. I just had a few blank spaces in my mind left to fill.

_It's a small town_, I reminded myself. _They've got nothing better to do. _I tried to ignore all of the eyes burning holes into my back. It wouldn't be like this forever. Someone would do something sooner or later and I would be last week's news.

"Hey, Bella. Hope you're feeling better." A girl with thickly rimmed glasses smiled at me as she passed. She had kind dark eyes and I could tell she was being sincere. I felt a little bad that I couldn't remember her because she obviously knew me.

Looks like another blank space…

So as not to make that smile on her face falter, I mustered up a smile of my own and thanked her. She told me she would see my later in class and made her way into the sea of people filing through the hallway.

I felt a hand touch my shoulder and turned to find Rose looking at me with a sympathetic expression.

"That's Angela Weber," she told me.

I thought about the name, hoping it would sound familiar. Nope… _still nothing_. This was my first time not recognizing someone I knew and I'd be lying if I said it didn't discourage me. Up until then I was sure my memory would bounce back to normal within a few days. I thought being around people I went to school with might speed up the process like the doctors said. Now I wasn't so sure.

Noting my obvious frown, Rose looped her arm through mine and began telling me the basic facts about Angela. She moved to Forks freshman year. As I looked around I realized that not everyone I saw were complete strangers. I could name every single classmate I'd had since elementary school. There were only a few who I drew blanks on and I wouldn't be surprised if Rose told me they had a similar situation to Angela. I seemed to be only having trouble with new faces in the last for years. _Hmm, that explains a lot._

By the time the bell for first period rang, I knew enough about Angela and a few other people to avoid awkward situations throughout the day. Everything else I could blame on the amnesia.

Ugh _amnesia_. I've come to hate the word ever since I had that nasty fall a week ago. It was my own fault really. One minute I was at the top of the staircase and the next I was laying unconscious at the bottom landing... or so I've been told.

My doctor was fairly optimistic. He said the head injury wasn't enough to cause lifelong memory defects and told me I should feel lucky my head received most of the fall's impact. Had I injured my neck... well I'd rather not even imagine. I'd just appreciate my luck as my doctor said.

I was just glad this was more than likely temporary. He fully expected my memory to return. I remember him telling me not to be shocked if in a week or even a few months from now, I suddenly experienced flashes of memory. He encouraged me to listen to my friends and family as they talked about things I couldn't remember, to continue doing routine things and visiting places were a specific memory occurred. Lots of other people had experienced regained memory by doing as he suggested.

I could only hope I'd be one of those people soon.

.

.

.

A few periods later I was standing in front of my locker. The stupid thing wouldn't open. I knew my combination wasn't wrong. I'd had the same lock since junior high.

I tried once more.

6…

22…

12…

Pull.

_Nothing._

Honestly I was a second away from banging my head against the metal of my locker. I'd probably only accomplish the loss of additional memory, but I was annoyed. It wasn't until a flash of bronze diverted my attention that I momentarily forgot about opening my locker.

My gaze landed on a boy walking in my direction. His hair was almost copper colored, but it worked for him. Judging from his height and build, he had to be a senior like me. He had a swagger in his step that oozed confidence… or arrogance. I guess you could argue that they were one in the same in this guy's case.

The closer he came the more things I noticed. Like the green of his eyes. Boy were they green! I was a girl suffering from amnesia but I was willing to bet my entire college fund that this guy had the most intense jade colored eyes I had ever seen. They could pierce right through you—and he wasn't even looking at me!

I knew I had to stop staring once my gaze moved onto his outfit. I had seen this scene unfold in far too many movies and in an even bigger amount of books. Girl ogles strangely intriguing guy. Girl stupidly stares too long. Guy catches her and girl dies of mortification.

Yep. No sir, I was not going to be that girl today. I had enough to deal with, so I turned back to my locker and was about to try again before I decided it would be useless and gave up. I couldn't hold in my huff of frustration. It was the second best thing to banging my head repeatedly.

"Aww, having some trouble Bellarina?" A smooth voiced cooed from over my shoulder.

Bellarina? Wait… were they talking to me?

I tentatively turned around and came face to face with the very same emerald eyed boy I had tried to avoid embarrassing myself in front of. _Well… at least he obviously knows you._

But how?

Another good friend? I had to ask Rose about him later. Boyfriend maybe?_ Okay now you're just wishful thinking!_

It suddenly occurred to me that he was standing there staring at me expectantly. _Say something!_ Oh right. Speaking that's what normal people do.

"What did you just call me?" I asked. My voice came out sounding shyer than I wanted it to but I had always been uncomfortable when meeting new people, and Rose wasn't here to fill in the blanks this time.

His brows rose in surprise. _What? Did I not say the right thing? _I silently hoped he didn't take it too personally if this whole "Bellarina" thing was some type of private joke between he and I. Surely he must have heard about what happened and my current… _state_.

"_That's_ your comeback?" He said in disbelief, I could have sworn a flicker of disappointment shown in his eyes. "I heard you bumped your head, but…"

So he had heard. I adjusted my bag and looked away, the crimson locker suddenly becoming very fascinating.

"I-I'm sorry," I offered up weakly, hoping he would understand. But my meek apology only served to deepen the frown on his face. Only this time, he didn't appear as taken back. He seemed concerned almost. _Concerned_. Why did that word feel so… _wrong_ suddenly? I had seen concern on more than a dozen people so far today and thought nothing of it but with this guy it felt weird—strange even.

"Bella you're really starting to freak me out. Is this some type of joke?" he asked with an uneasy laugh. "If it is… I'll admit you got me. You win, Swan."

I finally managed to sum up the courage to meet his eyes again, up until then I had been only glancing at them fleetingly, picking out spots on his face to focus on.

"Um… er… could you maybe…" I barely got out, leading to his brows knitting closer together. "Tell me who you are?"

Some things sound better inside your head, but that had to be an exception. Stupid inside and out. I wanted to cringe.

"You really don't know who I am?" It sounded like he was talking more to himself than to me so I didn't answer. He was staring off intently, lips parted.

"You're not my boyfriend are you?" _Nice, Swan! _The words tumbled out before I could stop them. My eyes widened as his gaze fell upon me again, but I couldn't seem to stop. "Rosalie never said anything about a boyfriend… and I'm sure she would have…" This time I was the one laughed uneasily. "I mean something like that is a pretty big detail to leave out… but you called me _Bellarina_ and that sounds like a term of endearment sooo... unless of course we broke up. Are we exes? No that can't be it… you'd probably avoid me if that were true…"

Great. He was staring at me. Why did I always have to babble on when I was nervous? Something I inherited from my mom.

He broke eye contact for a moment, seeming almost pensive. Most likely thinking about the quickest way he could get away from the rambling amnesiac freak.

"Well at least now I know you're not faking. You always were a shit actress." I couldn't be offended. I was. He must know me fairly well. "You're uh… right though," he finally said. "We're not dating, but we're also not exes."

"Oh. Okay… friends then?" I tried.

He opened his mouth only to close it a few times in hesitation. He visibly relaxed as a slow grin crept its way onto his face. His perfect smile almost swept away my train of thought completely, but I somehow managed to remain focused on the current goal: Figuring out who this gorgeous guy was.

When he looked at me again, his eyes held something I couldn't quite understand. He took a single step forward and tucked a piece of hair behind my ear, instantly invading all of my senses with that single touch and his close proximity. And trust me when I tell you, he was _close_. Whatever body-wash he used was threatening my focus almost as much as his smile had.

He leaned into my ear and spoke quietly.

"We're a little more than _friends_."

His voice dropped an octave and I had to bite my lip to keep from releasing any embarrassing sounds. I'd admit, my very first thought upon hearing what he said was _well-fucking-done_. The crassness felt oddly natural but for some reason it also made me blush. I wasn't the type of person who used profanity often… was I?

What if I was?

Another thing my doctor discussed was slight personality changes after head trauma. My father, Charlie had specifically asked about that particular subject. I thought he was just being curious. I mean I didn't feel any different. Then again how would I even know? I couldn't remember if I had spoken or thought differently before the accident. It's a little difficult to compare when you have no idea what you're comparing. No one had mentioned anything. They were most likely afraid to tell me in fear of upsetting me.

I really wanted to know though. It was then I vowed to start getting as many answers about my old life as I could. Green eyes seemed like a good place to start.

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**How soon I update really depends on how many people would like to continue reading, so I hope it was enjoyable and you leave a review. There's a lot more to this story.**

**Thanks for reading.**

**~Harper :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**So apparently many of you think this is a good idea with lots of potential. Thank you for all of the nice reviews! Also, I apologize for not getting this up sooner. I rewrote the entire chapter after I changed my mind about a certain concept I can't reveal yet. Hope you guys like this one :) **

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**Chapter 2**

BPOV

Did I hear him correctly? No, of course not! There was no way that I, Isabella Marie Swan, was in a... a... _look at you, __you can't even think the words._

I stepped away from him, albeit not getting very far. I stumbled until I felt my back pressing against one of the lockers.

He was staring again, clearly amused this time around. One corner of his mouth lifted up to form another lopsided smile.

He really needed to stop doing that.

"You alright?" he asked innocently.

"Me? Heh..." I waved him off despite the noticeably heightened pitch of my voice. Another little nervous quirk I inherited from dear old mom, "Oh yeah! Fine! I just thought you said something else. Threw me off is all. I mean I know you couldn't possibly be telling me that we're… we're—"

"Fuck buddies." he supplied unabashedly with a nod. I cringed at his word choice earning me a chuckle. He raised his hands in defense before pointing in my direction. "Hey, _you_ were the one who insisted we call it that."

"I did?" I asked stupidly.

"Something about remembering where we both stand with each other. Our relationship's always been a little… _complicated_," he explained.

"Complicated how?"

Nothing this guy was saying made any sense to me. The way he was talking made it sound like we had a long history together. I thought he said we weren't exes?

"Well…" he began. "As far as everyone else knows, you and I hate each other." He said this with a shrug as if it wasn't important.

_So I hate your guts… but I'm sleeping with you_. What the hell type of person was I before I lost my memory? Judging from what I was hearing, I didn't think I wanted to find out. Old Bella sounded like a handful. Too much for even me to handle and that's saying a lot considering the fact that I _am _her. Physically at least.

Oh god... this all sounded ridiculous.

It took me a moment to realize he was speaking to me again. I lifted my gaze to him in question.

"What was that?"

"You don't hate my guts," he repeated matter-of-factly.

_I said that out loud?_

"Yes, you did," he added while giving a valiant effort to hold in his mirth—a losing battle. His quiet laughter filled the empty hallway as I felt my cheeks warm up.

I sighed, turning away from him.

"I'm sorry. This is just all so weird. I feel like… like someone dropped me in someone else's life." Shaking my head I said, "The girl you're talking about doesn't sound anything like me. I'd never do that with you."

He was silent for a moment.

"You sure know how to wound a guy's ego."

Letting out a tiny gasp, I spun back around without thinking. I was just about to completely embarrass myself by reassuring him that he was more than attractive enough to be my... _buddy, _when he cursed under his breath. Before I could get a single word out, his large hand closed around my wrist and I was being pulled behind him.

A door was slamming behind us before I could even blink. Did he seriously just drag me into a janitor's closet?

He must have been feeling around for a light switch because only a second later a dim glow filled the room. I immediately noticed how close we were. Any closer and I'd be entirely pressed against him. There wasn't much space and what little existed was filled with clutter, but I managed to distance myself half a step. We were still too close for comfort but at least we weren't awkwardly invading one another's personal space. _I doubt he minds_, which was true. If the both of us really had been secretly seeing each for months as he said, then I'm sure we've been _much_ closer than this.

I cleared my throat before asking the obvious question.

"Why did you drag me into a dirty janitor's closet?" It seemed like an innocent enough question… so why was he staring at me strangely? He hid the look so quickly I almost thought I imagined it. Before he could answer we both heard a very familiar voice on the other side of the door. I'd recognize that boisterous laughter anywhere.

"Screwing girls in the janitors closet? Very classy, Edward."

Edward. So that was his name.

Even though we'd never been close friends, I felt the need to correct Emmett. I didn't want him to think I was one of those girls who messed around on school grounds because they couldn't wait six hours to get felt up by some boy. I silently prayed I wouldn't find out that I was in fact one of those girls. I had to ask Edward about that later.

Speaking of the devil, Edward covered my mouth with the palm of his hand before I could make a noise protesting Emmett's assumption.

"What? Nothing to say, Cullen?"

He laughed loudly again.

"What's going on?" This time it was the voice of my best friend. "Did I just hear you right? Is Edward in there with some girl?"

Emmett must have nodded because she laughed just as he had, only her laughter didn't sound amused. It sounded bitter.

She scoffed, but said nothing more. The sound of her retreating footsteps let me know she was gone. I couldn't understand why she sounded so angry.

"We'll talk about this later," Emmett said as he too walked away. I could vaguely hear him calling Rose's name.

Edward uncovered my mouth and lowered his hand. I could only blink in response. _What the hell was that?_

"Sorry about dragging you in here. I didn't want Rosalie to see us," he told me. _Rosalie? _I couldn't understand why he would want to avoid Rose, but he was obviously willing to go to great lengths to do just that. We were in a dusty closet for crying out loud!

Suddenly I remembered her reaction. My heart nearly stopped beating as a possible explanation came to mind.

"Oh god!" I looked at him with frightened eyes. "I'm sleeping with the guy she's interested in!"

"No," he said.

"An ex-boyfriend?"

"Bella that's not it…" By this point I wasn't listening. I was too busy being horrified with this girl I was only a week ago.

"So it's worse!?" I whisper yelled. My head shook back and forth slowly, "No… no you're her boyfriend aren't you? My best friend's boyfriend is cheating on her—with me! That's why she was so angry? The reason she stormed off?"

"Bella…"

"This is just great."

I was officially a _terrible _human being. In that moment I wished away all hope of getting back to normal. I'd be happier starting over. If the girl I used to be was dead and gone, good riddance! I couldn't believe this… I _had_ to tell Rose, and this—whatever it was—ended now. Right now.

"I'm going to hell," I groaned. "Straight to—"

My words were lost as he grabbed hold of my face with both hands and crushed his lips to mine in a short, but scorching kiss. I think I forgot how to breathe for a moment. I couldn't explain what happened next. I saw flashes of scattered visuals in my mind.

_The back of a blue summer dress being unzipped._

_A dark shirt being unbuttoned._

_Lips clashing._

It felt almost like watching a flip book from start to finish. There wasn't any sound to accompany the images but they were still so vivid.

As I was brought back to the present my own lips began to move with his, but before either one of us deepened it—and trust me I wanted to—he pulled away and rested his head against mine.

"You talk too much," he said in a husky voice. "Even falling down a flight of stairs couldn't fix that."

"I shouldn't have enjoyed that," I whispered as I opened my eyes and met his.

"But you did."

It wasn't a question.

I sighed and the guilt began eating me up all over again. He rolled his eyes and a part of me wanted to punch him in the face until he said, "Relax. I've never been with Rosalie and you're _not_ screwing your best friend's boyfriend."

I sighed in relief before looking at him and punching him in the arm. He barely even flinched and chuckled out a "What was that for?"

"I… I'm not entirely sure, but you deserved it!" I pushed him lightly one last time for my own benefit. "Why did you avoid Rose and drag me into a dark closet so dramatically?" The look I sent his way clearly said: _Explain_. _Now._

He rubbed his upper arm, feigning hurt. Of course he was faking. I was weak and we both knew it. "I think I liked shy and babbling Bella better. She's sweet and not abusive. Can we get her back?" Another look.

"Alright fine," he grew serious again. "Rosalie doesn't know about us—no one does. Another thing _you_ suggested, and I suggest we both keep it that way."

"Why?"

"She hates me. Do you really think she'd approve of this, let alone allow for it to continue? You know she wouldn't, but after that first time…" His voice lowered then and he brought his lips to my ear, pulling me closer by the waist. He let his hands rest there once I was flush against him. "We both knew there was no turning back. Do you really want to give that up?"

Did I? I saw flashes of something when he kissed me. It was the very first glimpse into my old life I'd had so far. He was the only person who I experienced that with. So yes, he posed a very good question. Did I really want to give that up?

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**Well that's all she wrote... for now lol. Keep the reviews coming I really enjoy reading them. Especially when you guys write about your theories. I already planned out exactly where I'm taking this, but some of them are really interesting.**

**Thanks for reading!**

**~Harper**


	3. Chapter 3

**Had some writing time so I figured I should get this up sooner rather than later. Thank you so much for all of the follows/favs/positive feed back! **

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**Chapter 3**

EPOV

I left Bella as soon as the first warning bell rang. She never did answer my question, but that was fine. The way she kissed me back and that breathless look on her face when I pulled away was enough. I knew she'd take the bait. So I left after telling her we'd talk tomorrow morning. I suggested she skip first period and meet me in the woods behind campus.

The look on her face as I walked out the door was apprehensive but I didn't stay long enough for her to refuse—she'd be there.

"You're a dick."

You could always trust Emmett McCarty to call you out on your shit. I didn't answer him and continued to lace up my cleats, hoping he'd finally give it a rest. Unfortunately for me, he was having none of that.

"No, for real, bro. You are a certified dick," he said as he slammed his locker shut, moving to sit on the bench opposite mine. He gave me another long hard look and I dropped my propped up foot to the ground, leaning against the row of lockers lining the wall.

He was waiting for me to say something. I answered him with a scowl. He'd been on my case ever since I told him about what I'd said to Bella. I summed up what happened right before the bell for our English Lit class rang, leaving no room for further discussion. Of all the reactions I was expecting from him, the one I received was definitely not one of them. Not even close. Emmett kept shooting me glares throughout last period. The whole fucking hour! It got to the point where I wanted to shoot up out of my seat and ask him what the hell his problem was.

But of course I didn't. I bit my tongue and tried to pay attention to Mrs. Holt ramble on and on about Shakespeare. The best love stories are both beautiful and tragic… or some shit like that.

It wasn't until we headed to the locker rooms to suit up for soccer practice that Emmett really let me have it. Ignoring his little jabs wasn't working—I inherited my father, Carlisle's, patience—so I finally groaned out in frustration.

"I get it!" I said loudly, "I'm a dick. You've clearly broken a record with the number of times you've said that word—Kudos man! Now are you done? Because in case you've forgotten we've got a big game this Friday and I don't intend to lose."

He sighed and pulled his practice jersey on over his head.

"Look, all I'm saying is, what you're doing is not cool man."

I rolled my eyes. Was he kidding me? He'd done worse.

Alright, I'd admit nothing as bad as lying to a girl who couldn't remember who the hell she used to be… but he wasn't a saint. It was one of the main reasons we'd always remained so tight, even before I moved to Forks. Personality wise, Emmett was practically my twin. He got me. If you hung around the two of us long enough, you'd almost think we were related if it weren't for my crazy colored hair and eyes.

Well at least I _thought_ that was as far as the differences between us went. I couldn't understand why he was so upset. So what if I told a white lie to, Swan? I knew enough from skimming through a few of my old man's medical journals to know it wouldn't be long before her memory came back. Good as new!

Sure she'd be pissed—I'd laugh—and then she would try to get me back like she always did. That's how it was between us. We'd been playing the same game for years.

Harmless fun really.

I just happened to be the one with the upper hand this time. I had somewhat of a _safety _during this round, a safety in the form of a very clueless Isabella Swan.

Did that make me a dick? Yeah, probably.

"I'm just having some fun with her. No harm in that," I shrugged. "Besides, Bella's always telling me to '_keep dreaming'_ whenever I even imply she wants me. Didn't seem like I was dreaming in that closet today. The girl would have let me go all the way if I turned the charm up high enough…" I smirked.

Emmett didn't smile or laugh. He just shook his head.

"So you're just going to keep playing her until she sleeps with you? That's low man." His eyes narrowed in disgust. "What if she's a virgin, huh? She'd know you lied to her. That's wrong… and I think I'd have to personally kick your ass for stealing a girl's virginity like that—best friend or not."

"She's not a virgin."

"She might be."

"Bullshit," I scoffed. "Everyone was talking about how she lost it to that kid from La Push… what was his name again?" _Jackson? Jason? _No, that wasn't it.

"That could have been a rumor for all you know, Edward."

I could tell he wasn't going to let this drop. With a sigh I let my head fall back against the lockers.

"Em chill," I told him. "I'm not going to pressure her into letting me fuck her."

"Of course you're not," he said dryly, disbelief clear in his tone.

"I'm serious."

It was his turn to roll his eyes at me, still not believing a word I said.

"So what are you going to do then?"

"I don't know," I shrugged before grinning slowly. "There are still a lot of things we can do that doesn't involve actual sex. I'll tell her we can take it slow—start all over. No pressure. With this whole shy and naive thing she has going on, she'd go along with just about _anything_ I say. And you know what?"

My grin only grew as an idea began to form in my mind. I didn't wait for him to answer or even show a single sign that he'd heard me. My eyes narrowed and I blinked slowly.

"I don't even need sex to make this work to my benefit. There's something else I could do and I doubt she could ever even dream about topping me if I pull this one off."

"Alright now I'm lost," Emmett said with a face twisted with confusion. He slid on both cleats and began to tighten the laces. "Pull what off? What the fuck are you talking about?"

"Bella's not herself," I stated.

"Yeah… so?" he drew out, eyes still trained on the laces.

"So," I replied as if it should have already been obvious. "I won't be myself either. From what I saw, it only takes a few whispered words and she's eating out of the palm of my hand."

Emmett froze, letting the knot he was tying come undone and fall limply before he sat up.

I stood with a smirk.

"She's going to fall in love with me by the time we're through—I'll make damn sure of it. And when she finally remembers…" I hummed in satisfaction. "That'll be a sight to see."

Emmett was shaking his head again. He finished up with his laces and stood up, bringing a heavy hand to my shoulder.

"As your best friend, I'll pretend I know nothing about this." I gave him a nod in appreciation and he in return patted my shoulder rougher than necessary. _Fucking brute._ "It's also my job to warn you..."

"Of what?"

"That this is going to blow up right in your face."

"We'll see about that." I said without worry. "Now are you ready to drag your fat ass down to the field and intercept the balls flying at your face, or what?"

"First of all, this is pure muscle and we both know it." He flexed both arms like an idiot_._ "Second," he flipped me off and I laughed along with him.

We both grabbed our stuff before heading outside, but not before Emmett shoved me from behind with a chuckle. And just like that, I knew we were back to normal.

Throughout practice I ran through the drills effortlessly, as usual. To the coach and every other unsuspecting eye I appeared completely focused on conditioning for Friday's game, but in truth, my mind was preoccupied with thoughts which had absolutely _nothing_ to do with soccer.

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**I'm sorry but it had to be done, we're dealing with a Jerkward until further notice. I think this chapter clears up some grey areas some of you have been asking about. **

**Thanks for reading :)**

**~Harper**


	4. Chapter 4

**Wow guys! You've really blown me away with your response to this story. Only three chapters in and we've already reached 100 reviews!**

**Many thanks to Nic from The Lemonade Stand and Tarbecca from A Different Forest for being sweet enough to mention FHN on their sites. Also MariahajilE for the mention on twitter. You three have certainly helped draw an impressive crowd, so thank you! Hope I'm not forgetting anyone... if you've mentioned this story somewhere please PM me and let me know. I'd love to thank you in the next chapter :)**

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**Chapter 4**

BPOV

"Bella?"

My cheek snapped up from its resting place against my knuckles at the sound of Rose's voice. The expectant silence I was met with only served as another reminder that I was meant to be listening instead of drowning out her words with my own thoughts.

From my position on the floor, I offered her an apologetic smile. I hadn't meant to space out while she was talking. It just happened.

"You've been staring at that thing for light years," she went on.

"Light years are a measure of distance, not time."

She blinked once and looked at me flatly. "You know what I meant."

I glanced down at the random drawing I had been working on and realized my pencil had stilled. Assuming Rose wasn't exaggerating, I had been staring dumbly at the half finished daisy for a while now. And here I thought I had been doing a decent job of acting natural—key word: _thought_. The abandoned flower and my lack of focus said it all.

My mind had drifted long ago, the sound of Rose's occasional comments floating away with it. My thoughts were occupied with green eyes and crooked smiles—correction—_one_ particular crooked smile.

"Sorry," I told her as I closed the sketchbook. Another glance towards Rose, and I suddenly felt like I was sitting on an intimidating leather couch as some shrink analyzed my every word. She had that quizzical stare, trying to figure out what was wrong.

I felt nervous suddenly. Rarely could you get anything past Rosalie Hale, and if you did, it usually wasn't long before she saw right through you. She could pick anyone's mind with enough motivation. There never was a seat hotter than the one I was sitting in at the moment. The one placed directly in the path of Rosalie's penetrating blue gaze.

I noticed the way one of her brows quirked and I suddenly felt like she somehow… _knew. _She set aside the magazine she had been flipping through and sat up, leaning against the headboard. _Here it comes_…

"Bella," she sighed. "I know I've asked you this a million times today, but… are you okay? You've been acting strange all afternoon."

_I have a good reason! I'm just not sure I should tell you… _

"Of course I'm acting strange," I chuckled. "I fell down a flight of stairs like the spaz I am."

"I'm serious."

I stood up with the sketchbook in hand and walked over to my bookshelf. It was easier to dance around the truth when I had my back to her.

"So am I," I shrugged as I put away the book.

My teeth caught my bottom lip as I waited for her reaction.

_Please leave it at that._

My finger lingered on the spiral binding for a second longer than needed. I could only avoid looking at her for so long before it appeared suspicious.

Rose kissed her teeth with a sigh.

"Fine, _Spaz_. I'll accept that lame excuse—for now." Her voice was teasing, no longer making me feel like I was being cross-examined. Never in my life had I been more relieved to be insulted than I was in that moment. I heard pages being flipped behind me and I discreetly released some of the tension in my shoulders, letting them slump.

"Hey, where were you at lunch?"

I froze, memory of what transpired in that janitor's closet emerging. Still not wanting to face her, I pretended to skim over the worn spines of my book collection, appearing indecisive about which one to read.

"Lunch?"

A question with a question. One of the oldest stalling tactics to ever exist, but I used the additional time to my full advantage, racking my brain for something even remotely believable.

"Yeah, I couldn't find you." _Flip_. When I glanced over my shoulder, Rosalie wasn't staring me down. Her attention was focused on the page she was currently reading. Had she been able to see my face, she would have noticed the way my eyes shifted uneasily.

This was it. Did I tell her?

On one hand I wanted to just come out and tell her everything… on the other, I didn't. The old Bella must have been floating somewhere under the surface because a part of me—the part currently winning—was advising me to keep quiet.

What would I even say?

_I was hiding—from you—inside of a janitor's closet with a guy who's apparently been my _special friend _for awhile now.__ We kissed. I liked it. Oh, and by the way, turns out my virginity ship has sailed long ago and I also forgot to mention it to you... _

Yes, that would end well.

_No. _It sounded terrible in my mind. I could never tell her that—not right away anyway. I needed some more answers from Edward first. But I _would_ tell her eventually.

I would.

"Library," I finally blurted. "I had to catch up on the… work I missed."

That actually wasn't half bad considering I had always been awful under pressure. It also wasn't a far stretch from the truth. I honestly had been working on my English essay in the library for a while.

Rose didn't seem to catch that little slip of nerves in my excuse. She turned another page while shaking her head with a small smirk. "Still obsessed with finishing your work weeks before it's due I see."

I leaned against the shelf and crossed my arms. "I just like to—"

"_Stay on top of things_," she finished for me with an unladylike snort. I rolled my eyes but joined in on her laughter. Sometimes you just had to laugh at yourself.

I joined her on the bed, snatching the magazine she seemed to be captivated with.

"Why do you read this junk?"

There was an entire page dedicated to the failing of relationships. _Top Ten Divorces of 2013. _I managed to suppress an eye roll.

_America's Sweetheart Not So Sweet…_

Oh please!

"Boredom," she shrugged as she took back the magazine. "It's also therapeutic in a way. My love life might not be virgin pure, and yeah I've made some mistakes, but at least I don't have a sex tape for any John with an internet connection to see." Holding up the page, she pointed to the spot where a few of what I could only assume were the more _tame_ screen shots were placed. "America's Sweetheart my ass... it's always the quiet ones."

I laughed. _Only Rose_. Her crass ways and bluntness never ceased to entertain me.

She chuckled as she discarded the magazine and fished out her copy of _The Great Gatsby _from her bag. "Since I'm willing to bet your essay is practically finished, you might as well help me with mine."

"Have you even read the book yet?"

"I skimmed it."

"Rose…" I frowned.

"Don't give me that look!" she pointed. "You've been reading classics since you were twelve. The rest of us use a little something called SparkNotes, Hun."

I snatched her book and shook my head. "You're lucky I have a few back up quotes and arguments written in my notebook downstairs," I said and her face instantly lit up. "You're also lucky I love you."

"I love you too," she smiled as she got up and headed for the door. This time I was the one who snorted unattractively.

"You only want me for my brains."

She paused at the door frame.

"True… but if I was into chicks I'd also…" I threw a pillow at her before she could finish. She dodged it easily.

"Get the notebook!"

"Okay... but I might take a little while to get there. You know how tricky it is to get from point A to point B," Rose sighed dramatically, barely keeping a straight face. "What with those stairs and all."

This time I didn't throw a pillow. I grabbed one and covered my own face as I flopped onto my back, muffling my scream.

I could still hear Rose's laughter from downstairs long after she left the room.

.

.

.

The next day I felt anxious as I sat in Rose's car on the way to school. I still thought it was ridiculous of my father to ban me from driving until my next doctor's appointment, but I couldn't focus on a petty thing like that at the moment.

I was about to ditch class. I was about to ditch class _and_ wander into the woods with a boy I barely knew. _He knows you awfully well_. The thought flew into my mind before I could stop it. It didn't calm me down though. If anything it only worsened my nerves.

Why was I doing this again?

_He's gorgeous. _Really, _that_ was what first came to mind? Great, I had stooped to the lowest of lows, thinking with a mind as shallow as Lauren Mallory's.

_He's also the only person to bring out a flashback_, I thought. That wasn't shallow. It didn't matter where our physical relationship went from here. Edward seemed to be my key to remembering and that alone was reason enough to talk.

_I think he wants more than a friendly conversation. _I ignored the thought. Thinking about that right now wasn't the best idea. I would blush and Rose would immediately know something was up. I knew she wouldn't drop the subject as she had done the afternoon before.

I cleared my head and relaxed myself for the duration of the ride to school. It wasn't long before Rose was sliding into a parking space. I laughed because she had essentially stolen the last desirable spot at the front of the lot.

"That was rude," I noted with a chuckle.

She shrugged with a grin.

I rolled my eyes but smiled as soon as I turned away from her and exited the car.

"Hey… um let's go this way instead." She was at my side in a flash, grabbing my hand and tugging me.

What was with people and dragging me around like a rag doll lately?

I immediately noticed we were heading in the opposite direction of the front entrance. I frowned as I slipped my hand free.

"Why?" I wondered. "Our classes are both closer if we go through the front."

It was true I had no intention of attending my first class, but I still found it odd for Rosalie to suggest another route. She wasn't meeting my eyes, another thing I found odd for someone as straightforward as Rose. Her strange behavior was beginning to scare me. Nothing fazed this girl.

"I know... but let's just go this way, _okay_." The way she said _okay_ warned me not to press the topic further. I nodded and followed behind her wordlessly. But I couldn't resist peeking over my shoulder.

It was then that I noticed the group standing near the school's entrance. I spotted Edward laughing with a few other boys—including Emmett. There were also a few girls who seemed to be hanging onto his every word, for some reason that sent a small wave of irritation through me.

The group near the flag pole were the only ones who stood out, but they couldn't be the reason. I looked around and couldn't see a single thing that could explain Rose's behavior. I thought looking over there might have helped me figure out why Rose was so hell bent on avoiding the area, but it only left me even more confused.

Nothing was making sense these days.

Rose and I parted ways when the bell rang. I headed in the direction of my classroom strictly for appearance's sake, passing right by it and making my way outside once more.

I slipped out the back doors discretely, although it wasn't necessary. The halls were already practically vacant, nothing but a few stragglers left.

When I reached the clearing, Edward was nowhere to be seen. For a second I thought he might have forgotten or just flaked out on the meeting entirely and I began to feel stupid.

I kicked a small rock and dragged myself over to a thick tree root, taking a seat. I'd wait for five more minutes—that was it. If he didn't show by then, I would move on and figure out another way to restore my memories. I'd forget all about him and his stupid green eyes. _As if you could._

"I could try," I sighed.

"Try what?"

I gasped as I heard Edward's amused voice. When I looked over at him he was smiling a little. It was a smile that favored one side of his face more than the other, clearly begging to become a smirk. Always with the smirks!

I cleared my throat. "When did you get here?" My eyes couldn't hold his stare for longer than a second before darting to the ground. I busied myself by picking invisible lint off of the sleeve of my sweater.

"Just now."

I shifted my weight.

"I didn't hear you coming... you should make some noise next time," I mumbled, smoothing out my sleeve.

He chuckled quietly and approached the spot where I was sitting. Nodding towards the space to my right he asked, "May I?"

I couldn't decide whether I wanted to push him away or pull him close. It was no secret his nearness turned me into a babbling fool. Well, at least he asked. I had some warning.

I nodded.

He sat down, confident and completely at ease—the complete opposite of myself. I decided to take a page from Rose's book and cut right to the chase.

"So, Edward," I began, drawing his gaze. I forced myself to maintain eye contact and motioned between the two of us. "How did _this_ happen?"

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**I'll try to update every 4-5 days. Maybe sooner if I'm really inspired. Keep the reviews coming! Some of you crack me up with the stuff you write lol. I'll try to reply to every single one of you.**

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**Thanks for reading!**

**~Harper**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey guys. Thank you for all of the support. Long story short, I read that review after receiving some bad news about our family dog... I was already upset and reading a review like that didn't help matters... but she's since apologized to me and it's water under the bridge as far as I'm concerned. I'm sorry if I haven't responded to all of your reviews. I've been practically living at my vet's office for the past week. Seriously the man's sick of my face at this point :P But I have read every single one of them and I appreciate them all! :)**

**~Thank you to Caroline from FicSisters for recommending this. And thanks to everyone else who's helped share this story.~**

**Alrighty then... well I'm just going to go over there and shut my eyes tightly while you decide whether this chapter is a hit or miss.**

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**Chapter 5**

BPOV

"Tell me everything," I added.

He studied my face momentarily before tilting his head in question.

"Are you sure you want to know everything?"

I was taken aback. Was he serious? Why wouldn't I want to know?

"Of course I am... why wouldn't I want to know every—"

He interrupted. "_Everything_?" he asked slowly, a hint of suggestion creeping into his voice. His eyes darkened to a dangerous shade of green.

What on earth was he… _oh. _

_Ew_! Well… not _ew_, per se… I mean surely I must have liked the time we spent together. No, even that was a lie and I knew it. I must have_ loved _what he could do behind closed doors if I kept him as a dirty secret for this long. He was obviously one of those guys who were sure of themselves and knew how to make use of a bed... a floor—any available surface.

Since when did I start thinking like _that?_ I could feel my face begin to flush.

_The guy you're inappropriately thinking about is sitting _right_ there. What's wrong with you?_

That invisible lint on my sleeve was once again stole my attention. I stared at the knitted material fixedly. "Relax, I was kidding. You usually like it when I mess with you." He nudged my knee with his own and with cheeks still blushing I returned my gaze to his. At this rate, I'd never get any answers. I took a deep breath and turned my body to face his.

"I don't need a play by play, Edward." I exhaled, allowing some of my tension to escape. "Why do people think we hate each other?"

His shoulders lifted and slumped.

"Because we do—"A strange strangled sound came from his throat. "_Did_! Heh…we did," he quickly corrected himself with a nod.

"We did?"

He laughed.

"Oh yeah! Couldn't stand each other!" he smiled at the ground. "You slapped me in the face once."

My breath caught when he uttered that last part. _I slapped him? _I was never one for physical violence. What could he have possibly done to warrant a slap to the face?

"What did you do?"

His eyes were on me instantly, a scoff-like laugh coming from him.

"You automatically assume it was _my_ fault?"

_Alright, I'll bite. _I'd give him the benefit of the doubt.

"Well… was it?" I asked slowly.

He allowed the question to hang there for a beat before smirking.

"Yeah."

I stared, waiting for him to elaborate. He didn't. _Oh no you don't, Green Eyes!_

"You can't tell me I slapped you in the face—because of something _you _did—and then leave it at that," I told him.

His smile only widened.

"I may have _accidentally_ caused you to fall into an icy lake." Seeing my bewildered eyes, he tried to explain. "We were on a class trip for Biology, looking at a bunch of plants and crap. I found a baby Garter snake—the thing was harmless. It really was. But when you saw it… you screamed bloody murder and backed away—guess you forgot where we were standing since you fell right into the lake." He chuckled at my unimpressed expression. "Don't look at me like that! I jumped in to help you out before you froze to death. It wasn't until we were both out of the water that you decided to thank me with a slap."

The confusion continued to grow. It sounded like I _really _hated him. I hit him after he jumped into a freezing lake to help me out? Granted, it was his fault I was in there in the first place, but still. I'd never strike someone over that alone.

"Did I hurt you?"

I couldn't hold back a giggle when he rubbed his jaw as if he could feel the stinging sensation from that day. He glared playfully. "Nah... but I'll lie and say yes just to boost your ego, Swan."

I scoffed. _Liar. __It hurt_.

"So, if we hated each other so much... how did it start?" I asked.

He was quiet for a moment, most likely reflecting back on another memory.

"Do you remember the senior class tradition every July 4th?"

I nodded. Who could forget that? It had been around for what seemed like an eternity; they started the tradition a year before my dad graduated high school. Every Fourth of July there was a huge party down at La Push's First Beach—complete with a bonfire and everything. The incoming seniors and the new graduates all got together—an unofficial passing of the torch sort of thing.

No one actually cared about the sentimental aspect of the tradition these days. Most people just went to get wasted, have a good time and watch some fireworks light up the sky before school started again.

I had to admit, this new piece of information made the whole thing easier to understand. If I ended up losing my inhibitions and hooking up with someone I thought I hated… then it would _definitely_ be at that party.

"Judging from that look on your face, I think you've pretty much guessed what happened... but long story short, you were there. I was there. We somehow found ourselves alone together at one point. I know we argued, not a fucking clue what caused us to get in each others faces, but we did. Then we were kissing... and then we were doing _a lot_ more than kissing."

I blushed when he reached the part about going farther than a few heated kisses, but still nodded slowly as I took in everything he had told me. And for the first time, I accepted every word as the truth. I was fairly certain Edward was the one I lost my virginity to—I wouldn't dare ask him though. I'd have to casually bring the topic up with Rose and if she told me I was a virgin, then I'd know for sure. _God... how twisted is this? I can't even remember losing my v-card._

"You know, I'm not exactly sure how to act around you now," he said suddenly, running a hand through his hair..

"Me?"

He motioned to the empty clearing around us.

"Do you see any other girls around here?"

I rolled my eyes.

"You don't seem like the type of guy who's unsure around girls. You looked fine this morning." _Oh no… I did not just say that! _As expected my own slip of the tongue piqued his interest. His body angled in my direction and he shifted himself closer.

"Is that jealousy I hear?" he teased with a smirk

"No," _Lie._ "I was merely stating a fact."

He sighed loudly—dramatically loud. "That's a real shame. I was about to say you were showing a little of your old self. You never did like to share…but that's okay," he said huskily. "I don't either."

I hadn't realized how close we'd gravitated towards one another until he began to lean in. I could feel his lips as they barely skimmed along my skin, beginning just below my ear and ending the disarming trail at the corner of my mouth. He began to turn my face with a finger gently guiding my chin, and although I'd probably kick myself for missing my chance to feel his lips on mine one last time, I put a palm to his chest and pushed him away before our lips could connect.

"I'm not going to sleep with you, Edward." I forced out the words while I still held the nerve, my eyes refused to meet his as I went on. "I know that sounds stupid considering we've already been together like that… but I can't just jump into bed and pick up where we left off." I swallowed anxiously. "I can't give you that and I don't want to lead you on either."

Edward seemed like a nice guy. I may have known him for years, but at the moment, he was practically a stranger. It didn't matter how attracted I was to him... I couldn't be the girl I used to be and pretend I knew what I was doing when I clearly didn't. I couldn't even remember my own first time.

I chanced a look at him to gauge his reaction.

He eased into his original spot, giving us both some much needed space, but didn't say a word. He sat there stunned, blinking at the ground. _He's still here._ If he was going to storm away and tell me to have a nice life, I think he would have done it by now. _Guess that's a good sign._

It felt like days before he finally spoke.

"I don't want that either."

_He doesn't?_

"You don't?"

He shook his head, causing my brows to knit together. Was he serious? Teenage boys only thought about one thing. There were few conversations you could have with them without their minds shooting to the gutter. I'd been giving him a steady supply of no strings attached sex until my accident... and he was telling me he didn't want that with me? He didn't want things the way they were?

Maybe I wasn't the only one up late thinking last night. _Why wouldn't he want that?_ I couldn't give him a relationship exactly like the one we shared before, but that didn't stop me from wondering why it was so easy for him to let it go without another word.

_I wish I could read your mind, Cullen_

An explanation suddenly occurred to me, and I couldn't push it aside. Maybe I was right about him thinking things over the night before. What if he came to the conclusion that I wasn't worth the trouble? _Of course he did!_ From what I saw this morning, he could have his pick of girls. Why would he waste his time with an unsure thing—a girl who couldn't even remember the person she was only weeks ago.

"Oh. Of course," I said, tucking a few loose tendrils of hair behind my ear. "You've changed your mind haven't you?"

"Bella…" he sighed and opened his mouth to explain. I spoke up before he could tell me what I already knew.

I shook my head and waved off his concern, trying my best to smile. Honestly, I should have seen this coming.

"No! It's fine. We're graduating in a few months anyways. It's probably best to pretend this whole thing never even happened." I laughed shortly, though it was clearly forced, and pointed to my head. "I've already done half of the work for us… really Edward it's—"

He grabbed both of my shoulders, effectively putting an end to my speech.

"Bella," he said with a small smile. "I think you misunderstood. The sex part isn't a deal breaker. I'm not saying I want to walk away from this—fuck, that's the last thing I want!"

"B-but… I'm not myself."

"Don't I know it," he muttered.

"I can't give you everything we had before... so why are you still here?"

"Why are you?" he retorted confidently. I felt as though I didn't know the answer to that question anymore. Why _was _I here? Could I really pin the way I felt when he was around on a few flickers of memory? I couldn't lie to myself. I knew that wasn't my only motive.

The corners of his mouth lifted when I couldn't answer him soon enough. "I think I know."

_Glad one of us does..._

"I think a part of you remembers just how much you like _this—_us. Am I wrong? Was that kiss yesterday just a fluke? You certainly weren't pushing me away." He pursed his lips. "Am I getting warmer? Tell me I'm way off base and we can leave it at that. I've never forced a girl to do anything she didn't want to in my entire life and I don't plan on starting now."

I sighed in defeat. "No… I _want_ to be here."

"Coincidentally, so do I," he said gently. "Let's start from there. No pressure."

My eyes softened. I couldn't believe how understanding he was being about all of this. I only needed a second to consider what he was offering me—a fresh start. As if I had anything to consider. Ever since the accident everyone had been so expectant of me. They were expecting me to fall easily back into the way things used to be… and here was Edward, expecting nothing.

"Okay," I said without hesitation.

He seemed pleased with my answer. A full smile stretched across his face.

"Okay."

I gave him a small smile of my own, before suddenly remembering one tiny problem—a spitfire with blonde type of problem. I frowned, causing his smile to disappear almost as quickly as mine had.

"What's wrong?"

"I think…" I bit my lip. "I think we shouldn't tell people—not quite yet anyway. I'm already receiving enough unwanted attention as is and I'm not sure how Rose would react."

He chuckled. "Yeah… she's not exactly my biggest fan."

"Only because she thinks I hate you. She's protective like that," I reasoned. "I'm sure she'd come around if she knew the truth… then again... I'm also sure she'd kill me if she found out I lied to her for this long. I'll tell her before graduation though—I will."

His brow rose skeptically. "Are you trying to convince me, or yourself?" _Both? _"Look, we don't have to tell anyone if you don't want to. Whatever you want. We'll go at your pace."

He grabbed my hand. I hadn't realized my fingers had been fidgeting against the material of my jeans until I felt his touch and the movements immediately stopped. There was something oddly comforting about his touch, ironic considering he could accelerate my heart beat with his presence alone.

_Wherever this goes._

What did I really have to lose?

EPOV

I watched her walk away, an added bounce in her step she thought I couldn't notice. It wasn't until I could barely make out her figure that I allowed myself a smirk. I ran a hand through my hair and chuckled as I thought about everything I had said within the last hour. I didn't even know where half of those lines came from. I bullshitted the entire thing—I even changed my god damn story on the spot!

The night before, I had been considering a few different stories. I decided to go with the one that sounded most convincing. I was going to tell her a half-assed lie about one thing leading to another at some random party, but then I remembered that Bella wasn't the partying type of girl. She'd probably go along with it if I told her she was, but I decided to stick closer to the truth—that seemed to be working exceptionally well for me.

I was impressed with myself. I was sure in Bella's eyes, I was the perfect gentleman.

Caring about her feelings.

Moving things along at _her_ pace.

And that part about wanting to keep things quiet? _Talk about luck!_ I was worried she'd want to put an end to the sneaking around and tell everyone, convincing her otherwise would be tricky—sure way to raise her suspicions. Bella was a smart girl. I could only rely on her naivety for so long.

Luckily, I didn't have to worry about that. She thought the secrecy was her idea—I wouldn't correct her. I had her believing _she _was in control of things, when that couldn't be farther from the truth.

_I deserve a fucking Oscar._

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***Holds up hand* You don't even need to ask... I give you all permission to slap Edward. Step right up!**

**Twitter: Crimson_Harps**

**Thanks for everything guys!**

**~Harper**


	6. Chapter 6

**Apologies. I've been away from my laptop. Ironically enough I was visiting the lovable jerk who inspired this fic. The asshat says hi.**

**Oh and thank you Liv for the mention on Facebook ^_^**

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**Chapter 6**

EPOV

I hadn't been able to move things along with Bella since Tuesday morning. A certain overbearing blonde could be thanked for that. It seemed like every time I spotted Bella alone, Rosalie miraculously appeared. In the last few days, she'd been acting as Bella's own personal guard dog. I had no idea where the sudden separation anxiety had come from, but it was working against me. I had to act fast if I wanted this to work and Blondie was turning into a serious forestalling thorn in my side.

I was anything if not persistent though. I'd wait for an opportunity... or better yet, wait for Bella to come to me all on her own. But I wouldn't risk raising anyone's suspicions with my impatience, especially Rosalie's.

_Speak of the devil and she shall appear._

As I rounded the stairwell leading to the first floor, I spotted Rosalie on the bottom landing—sans Bella for once. For a second I considered turning around, but I was already late for practice as it was. Going out of my way to avoid a bitchy blonde wasn't worth the extra earful I would be getting from coach if I didn't get my ass to the field… ten minutes ago. It was nearly five, what was she still doing on campus anyways?

_Who gives a shit? Every minute you're late is another additional warm-up lap. _Coach didn't fuck around when it came to tardiness. He also didn't give two shits about excuses. It didn't help that he was in a bad mood. Our game had been rescheduled to Saturday morning and Coach hated last minute schedule changes. I'd be running until my legs fell off if I allowed another minute to pass. The thought alone was enough to cause my calf muscles to scream out in protest. I hurried down the rest of the stairs, hoping to pass her with as little interaction as possible. None if I was lucky.

"Hold it, Cullen."

_Fucking hell…_

I would have ignored her and kept moving, had she not blocked my path. If I really wanted to I could have easily shoved her aside and carried on, but I wasn't that much of an ass. It didn't matter how much I was annoyed at the moment, I'd never put my hands on a girl like that. Not to mention, Emmett would kill me. Everyone knew that giant oaf had a soft spot for the Ice Queen. No idea why, but to each his own.

With much reluctance, I tried to forget about the multitude of extra laps I'd be suffering through and gave Rosalie my attention, hoping this would be over quickly. She crossed her arms, not looking the least bit pleased.

_Oh shit._ Had Bella said something? I knew I couldn't count on that girl to keep her mouth shut. Who was I kidding, she probably didn't even _need _to say anything, not when her face was practically an open book. _Either way, you're fucked if she somehow found out. _Rosalie wasn't known for her ability to forgive and forget wrongdoings, especially when they involved her friends.

Trying not to show any sign of worry, I ran through all of my options mentally. Anything to get myself as far away from this conversation as fast as possible.

The thing was... Rose was a bitch—a major one. Unless she liked you, you couldn't crack that glacial heart of hers with the hammer of Thor. In other words, my charm was a useless weapon... and that was usually what I fell back on during times like these. She was still looking at me with so much disgust in her eyes. _Fuck it. _I rolled my eyes with an annoyed sigh, skipping the sweet talk and smile I knew would never work.

"I don't have time for this, Hale," I said tersely.

"Well I don't care if you have to magically pull some out of your ass. You better _make_ time."

I bit my tongue and sneered at her.

"Stay away from Bella."

Had I been right about Rose finding out about what I'd done? If so, I was surprised Hale's opening line wasn't in the form of a swift kick to the family jewels. I nearly cringed at the mental image. Maybe I was wrong… maybe not. I certainly wouldn't admit anything without knowing for sure.

"Bella?" I feigned ignorance.

"Don't play dumb. I've seen the way you've been looking at her ever since she came back to school." _Of course you did... you never leave!_ A teacher made her way around us, slowing her steps as she noticed Rosalie's deadly expression and stance. She was clearly debating whether to intervene or not. Rosalie perked up instantly, plastering a bright smile on her face and nodding politely to the woman in greeting. Deciding things were under control, she smiled lightly and went on her way.

Rosalie was in my face as soon as the sound of clicking heels could no longer be heard. She picked up right where she left off in a hushed voice. "She's already having a hard time adjusting and I'll be damned if you're going to make things worse for her. This little game you're used to playing with her? Consider it over."

Oh... but why? It was such a sweet game. My favorite.

"Look," I sighed. "I heard Bella's a little out of it... but what does that have to do with me?"

"I don't know you tell me."

Yeah, that wasn't happening. If she came here in search of a confession then she'd be leaving sorely disappointed.

I stood up straighter and looked down at her with a bored expression.

"You're wasting _both _of our time here. I haven't even spoken to Bella since she came back—not once," I lied.

Unlike her friend, Rosalie wasn't as easily subdued with my lies. She pressed further.

"I know you, Cullen," she said. "You're planning something."

I resisted the urge to smirk. _You're a little late, Blondie._ It seemed I had my answer: Rosalie didn't know a damn thing. She thought I was planning something but she had no idea I'd already made my move. It was laughable, really. Rose thought she was a step ahead when in reality, she was behind.

A protective Rosalie Hale who knew nothing? I could work with that. I'd just have to be especially careful about the way I interacted with Bella when she was nearby.

I laughed and shook my head, acting as if her words were nothing but absurdity. "Clearly you don't know me at all. I'm not planning shit." I tilted my head to the side thoughtfully. "Or at least I wasn't... until now. Do you _want_ me to do something to her?" That last part was for my own amusement.

Her jaw twitched, eyes narrowing further into two slits of icy blue anger.

"I swear to god Edward, if you hurt her…"

Hurt her? I would never hurt her. If everything went according to plan, Swan would be pissed as soon as she remembered everything and realized what I'd done, but _hurt_? Please. I knew Bella. She was a tough girl. I didn't have to like her in order to respect that particular quality about her. Honestly, it was one of the reasons why Bella's recent personality change unnerved me at first.

It was strange—a real mind fuck. At times while talking to her she was shy as hell, like she would cower away at any moment if I said or did the wrong thing. Other times I saw these little flashes of the old Bella; the one I was used to. Those occasional sassy remarks reminded me that her old self was in there somewhere and it wouldn't be long until she was back to normal.

Like I said, I _knew _her. She'd be back undoubtedly wanting to either castrate or kill me—maybe both—but she wouldn't be hurt. There was no way… she couldn't be... right?

_If that's true, then why don't you sound so sure?  
_

I did not just think that, did I? What the hell was I saying to myself? There must have been something in the water because that little voice in the back of my mind was beginning to sound an awful lot like Emmett had earlier in the week.

Now was definitely not the time to be having second thoughts. I was too far in at this point. Besides, I wasn't sure how this new Bella would take it. She seemed so fragile half the time, nothing like the girl I was used to sparring daily with. The Bella I knew could handle anything you threw at her but this one… hell I had no idea.

I wouldn't risk it. _I'm not backing out. Not a chance._

Rosalie called my name and snapped her fingers reminding me that she was standing there, still looking as pissed as ever. "I know spacing out is common for someone as small minded as you, but did you hear what I said? I'm only warning you once."

I frowned at the insult.

"Yeah I heard you." I was aggravated by her attitude at this point. "But you've got nothing to worry about. I'm not planning anything, okay? How many times do I need to repeat myself?"

She scoffed. "You expect me to believe that?"

I shrugged.

"You can believe whatever the hell you want. Quite frankly, it's not my problem," I said. "Now are we done here? I've got practice."

She nodded her head with a cold look, clearly meaning the conversation was over but we were most certainly _not_ done with the issue. Rosalie stepped to the side and I brushed past her without a word, continuing down the rest of the stairs. Her voice halted my movements only a moment later.

"If you're smarter than I give you credit for... you'll pretend Bella doesn't even exist to you." That was a little extreme. I could understand her protectiveness, and in this case she actually had reason to doubt my every word, but to act as though the girl didn't exist? _Seriously? _I wouldn't of course. Things were set up too beautifully, but even if I wanted to, we lived in one of the smallest towns on the planet. You couldn't avoid anyone for long in a place like this, especially in the halls of Fork's High.

What was her deal? She was acting strange. _Everyone_ was acting strange.

With my back still to her, I turned my head in her direction.

"Is that a threat?"

"Not necessarily... but test me if you really want to find out." And with that, she was gone. I listened to her footsteps echoing throughout the stairwell until they finally disappeared altogether.

I'd have to keep an eye out for that one. Rosalie didn't scare me but she could easily ruin everything before I got what I wanted.

As I continued walking, I received two consecutive texts from Emmett.

**Where the hell are you?! Thompson's out for blood!**

**GET HERE.**

I checked the time and realized I was later than I originally thought. _Fuck me. _My talk with Rosalie had officially made me a dead man.

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**I appreciate all of the love this story has been receiving! I'll try to update again as soon as possible. B and E next chapter I promise! Rose simply needed a word alone with our scheming Edward. **

**If you'd like follow me on twitter at Crimson_Harps.**

**At this point in the story, consider every review a slap upside the head for Edward. C'mon you know you want to... knock some sense into the boy. Thanks for reading!**

**~Harper **


	7. Chapter 7

**Thought this chapter would never get finished, but here it finally is. **

**Thank you all for the recs, favs, follows and reviews! I appreciate everything guys!**

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**Chapter 7**

BPOV

When Rosalie had first called and told me about her three day trip with her parents, I could hear the disdain in her voice right away. She had begged her parents to let her stay alone for a few days, even suggesting that she stay with my dad and I—they still didn't budge. She was going. I was glad she couldn't see my smile when she told me that.

She might have been dreading her trip to Oregon, but I certainly wasn't. It was exactly what I needed to figure things out with Edward. Initially, I hadn't realized how difficult keeping a secret from her would actually be—it was exhausting. I had no idea how I'd managed to do it for as long as I did.

The only time I had seen Edward since Tuesday was in brief passing, and even then I didn't dare look at him for more than a second, fearing that people would somehow see the truth. He hadn't approached me either, but I felt like Rose's presence could explain that. He was simply doing what I'd requested. I _had_ specifically asked him to keep whatever this was between us a secret from everyone, Rose in particular.

But it wasn't as though I hadn't attempted to find some time to myself. A few times I had tried convincing Rose I had to go study for an exam in the library. That one backfired on me during every attempt—she would always offer to tag along. Now obviously I couldn't refuse her company. Knowing Rose, her interrogation skills would kick into overdrive.

I also knew making up several different excuses in the same week wasn't the best idea. Studying? Normal enough. But an array of reasons as to why I needed to go off on my own? If that didn't scream 'I have something to hide', then I wasn't sure what did.

I was stuck.

Everything Edward and I had said in those woods was just… hanging there, completely unmoving. It reminded me of those chess games I used to play with my dad and uncle, how the game froze whenever either one of us took too long to decide on a move.

I was usually the one who sat there staring at the board, debating my next move and testing my dad's patience. It seemed as though I was back to being that young girl who knew where she wanted to go, but who had absolutely no idea how to get there. The difference between then and now was the helpful hints my uncle Scott used to disguise as coughs.

No such luck now.

Back then it was an army of strategically placed chess pieces that stood in my way. And now, it was my best friend. After years of confiding in her about everything, I didn't know how to keep her in the dark with this one little secret. It felt like I was constantly walking across a minefield. I knew I couldn't lie to her forever and the sooner I got the courage to tell her, the better.

I just needed to figure out a few things before that day came.

Which is what lead me to my Saturday morning walk to school. _Note to self: beg dad for car keys back._

When I arrived at school and reached the soccer field, the game was already in its final minutes. I tried to draw as little attention to myself as possible, so I hung back, watching the rest of the action from a spot beside the partially filled bleachers.

My attention was immediately captured by the player who had possession of the ball that captured. His movements were so deft and precise. I watched as he dribbled the ball around at least three different opponents as they vied to steal it. It almost looked like he was teasing them with every pivoting move. He'd allow them to get close enough to make an attempt, but his footwork proved to be quicker and sharper every time.

When he slowed down long enough for me to read the back of his jersey, it came as no surprise when the word _Cullen_ stood out in gold boldface.

_Why is that not surprising?_

No wonder everyone seemed to gravitate towards him, myself included. The guy was perfection. _Who's that perfect? There has to be something wrong with him… _The more I thought about it the more I realized there probably wasn't. He was in fact that flawless.

I watched him pass the ball a few times—not that he needed to. From where I was standing it was obvious he could maneuver his way to the net all on his own. The opposing players might as well have taken a seat on the grass while Edward controlled the ball—they weren't getting that thing back any time soon—but still, it was nice to see he wasn't one of those full of themselves athletes who insisted on putting the nonexistent 'I' in team.

After one unsuccessful goal attempt from both sides, the ball eventually found its way back to Edward. Using that same quick footwork, he zeroed in on the opposing goal. Everyone anticipated his attempt to score, but as he was approaching the net, I caught sight of his small smirk. It vanished so quickly I almost thought I was imagining things—turns out I wasn't.

In one effortless move, he managed to fake out both the defending player and the goalie. I was by no means a soccer fan, but I couldn't stop my lips from parting in awe.

While the focus was on him, Edward took full advantage as he made a sharp pass over to Emmett, whose own shot connected with the back of the net almost instantaneously. I smiled softly as all of our players celebrated what truly was a genius play.

Soon after, the ref called time and I remained where I was as I waited for most of the people to clear out. Edward received plenty of pats on the back and big grins. I stifled a giggle when Emmett and a few other players nearly tackled him to the ground in their excitement.

Almost as if he could feel my eyes on him, he glanced over his shoulder and found me. He said something to Emmett, whose smile faltered. He didn't look too happy with Edward, but he eventually nodded curtly in understanding. _Wonder what that's about?_

As Emmett walked away with a few players in tow, Edward slipped away from the remaining group. I wandered under the bleachers, knowing he'd follow.

He didn't disappoint.

"This is a surprise," he said.

When I turned around to face him I found a flushed Edward standing before me. His reddened cheeks and damp hair took little away from his draw. Even after exerting himself he still managed to look amazing.

"A good one?"

He cracked a smile. "Definitely a good one."

"You and Emmett make quite the duo," I told him.

"We do," he agreed with a nod. I waited for him to add something to that but he never did. He continued to stare at me with a mischievous look in his eyes. Without warning, he closed the distance between us and wrapped his arms around my waist, lifting me off of the ground easily.

"Edward!" I squealed as I clutched onto him. My legs wrapped around his waist for added assurance. I knew he wouldn't drop me, but he completely caught me off guard and that was my reaction.

"What are you doing?"

"Celebrating." His laughter vibrated through his chest, infectious. I found myself laughing along with him.

With my arms still locked around his neck, I angled my head back, just enough to give him an incredulous look. "Really?"

He hummed in confirmation and walked backwards. I almost missed the wince accompanying one of his steps, but I did notice it and immediately frowned.

"You're hurt," I noted worriedly. "You should put me down."

He shook his head with a smile, but still didn't take my advice.

"I appreciate your concern, Doc, but I'm fine. Just sore—aftereffects from yesterday's _special _practice." I tilted my head in confusion, but before I could ask him what he meant, he grumbled out a terse, "Don't ask."

"Still," I tried to reason. "You should take it easy."

He rolled his eyes and took the remaining steps to reach one of the bleacher's lower beams. With his hold still securely supporting my weight he sat down, taking me with him. I should have felt extremely awkward. I was straddling the lap of a guy I barely knew, but oddly enough, it didn't make me feel uncomfortable.

"Happy, Doc?"

I fiddled with the collar of his uniform as I answered him. "Mhmm." Little thought had been given to the response, but when he remained quiet I bit my lip, thinking I had said something wrong.

Edward was staring at me when I lifted my eyes from the material of his shirt—or rather my mouth. His gaze flickered to mine and it was then I decided what I wanted to do.

Unlike Tuesday, there was no debate as to who began leaning in first. _Guilty on that one._ When there was only a breath separating our lips, a thought occurred to me and I began shaking with laughter. I buried my face in his shoulder, knowing he must have been thinking I'd lost my mind.

"I could've sworn we were on the same page just now…" He must have been mentally scratching his head. This was the second time I had denied him a kiss a moment before it happened.

"We were," I assured. "But I'm not making out with you under our high school bleachers—sounds like something out of a crappy teen movie."

"You never say what I expect you to," he chuckled.

"Where's the fun in always knowing what's coming next?" For once, _I _was the one who was smirking. I pulled away to see his face, something about his eyes bringing me back to a familiar place.

_"__Stop it," I huffed. "You shouldn't be doing that. You'll regret it in the morning."_

_He didn't seem to be listening. His body slumped against the lawn chair, head falling back as he stared up at the stars._

_"__Maybe I will… maybe I won't," His head rolled languidly, eyes partly glazed over when they met mine. He smiled lazily. "Where's the fun in always knowing what's coming next?"_

I was shocked by the clarity. This was more than a few flickers from my past, what I'd just experienced was an actual memory! His voice sounded a bit strange, but his eyes were the same striking green. There was no mistaking—that was a memory of Edward.

"Hey, you okay?" His voice was back to normal now, bringing me back to the present. I grinned to myself, not caring how insane I must have looked. I was so happy! This was great!

Without answering him, I removed myself from his lap as I stood and he let me go without protest, still looking adorably confused.

"C'mon," I said brightly, grabbing his hand and leading him back to the field. I was glad to find it nearly empty. Most of the crowd had already cleared out to enjoy the rest of their day off.

"Bella," Edward said cautiously. "You're freaking me out aga—"

_Oh shut up and let me enjoy this, Green Eyes._ I grabbed the back of his head and brought his lips down to mine. His words were silenced as I finally did what I'd been fantasizing about for days. Finally.

He seemed caught off-guard by my boldness, but went along with it. I could have gotten lost in the way his lips moved against my own for hours, and I would have too, had he not had enough sense to pull away.

A low whistle from the other side of the field reminded me of our location and I blushed, unlike Edward who was completely unaffected by the attention.

He gazed down upon me with amusement in his eyes. "I thought you didn't want to be a crappy movie?"

"We're not under the bleachers anymore," I pointed out.

"Yeah, now we're standing on a game field after a big win." _Well when you put it that way…_

I rolled my eyes. "Okay fine… we're a crappy movie!"

He grinned and slung an arm over my shoulder, leading me away from the odd looks we were receiving from a few nearby parents.

"Where are we going?"

"We're going to salvage what's left of this crappy movie." He dropped his arm and put some distance between us once we reached the parking lot, nodding to a few people as they congratulated him on a job well done. I wasn't all that concerned with being seen with him. The space between us was significant enough to look as though we were both simply heading in the same direction.

After making sure there wasn't anyone else around, Edward halted his steps when we reached a sleek black car at the corner of the lot and turned to me.

"How'd you get here?"

"Walked," I shrugged.

"Perfect," he grinned as the car unlocked. "That actually works in our favor. Get in."

"Again… where are we going?"

He lent down to my level and lowered his voice to a teasing whisper. "I told you. We're salvaging this crappy movie of ours now…" His lips silently formed the words '_get in.'_

I still hadn't the faintest idea where we were headed, but I got inside the car. _Better than walking home. _

While he threw his sports bag in the trunk, I took note of how expensive the car looked. Its interior design alone must have cost more than my entire college fund.

"Who did you have to kill to get a car like this?" I had to ask once he joined me inside.

He chuckled.

"It's my mom's old car," he explained.

"And she just gave it to you?"

"Well it was either give it to me or let it sit in the garage collecting dust. My dad surprised her with a new car. It was the least he could do after he…" He paused and said nothing more.

"After he what?"

"Nothing worth talking about. Typical stuff."

"Forgot to take out the trash one too many times?" I guessed.

"Something like that," he said as he sped out of the lot.

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**I've rewritten this one about a billion times and I'm still not too sure about it. Meh... feels like I'm having an off week... guess you guys will let me know lol.**

**I also think I'm going to try to upload regularly every Friday starting this week. Procrastination is my greatest weakness so let's see how that goes. *crosses fingers* ****Once again, thanks for everything guys.**

**Twitter: Crimson_Harps**


	8. Chapter 8

**I procrastinated just as I knew I would, but I still managed to write this all in one sitting for you all. Enjoy!**

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**Chapter 8**

BPOV

"I wasn't aware we were turning this into a psychological thriller," I finally said, deciding it was safe to start up a conversation again. After he had peeled out of campus Edward was quiet and noticeably irritable, his grip on the steering wheel tighter than necessary. It didn't take a genius to put two and two together.

Something obviously happened, something he didn't want to talk about and I felt guilt gnaw at me for the rest of the drive—he still hadn't mentioned where we were going. Then again, he hadn't said much of anything and up until now I had accepted the silence.

He glanced over at me with a bemused smile and I knew whatever had caused his uncharacteristic reaction was no longer plaguing his thoughts. I quietly breathed a sigh of relief. I wasn't sure I could have dealt with the awkwardness had his moodiness continued.

"What makes you say that?" he asked.

I pouted my lips in thought and lent forward to peer out of the windshield, reviewing our surroundings. "Well…" I began. "We're on the outskirts of town in a heavily wooded area and I haven't seen a single person since that old man awhile back. Things aren't looking too good for me at the moment."

His head fell back in laughter, which in turn caused me to hide a victorious smile as I turned towards my window. I'd successfully brought Edward back from whatever dark place he had gone to at the mention of his parents.

"And all signs point to me being a deranged psycho who wants to hide you away in his house of horrors?"

I returned my gaze towards his profile and ran my eyes along it slowly.

"Subtle, Bellarina." His eyes were still on the road, a knowing smile on his face. He seemed to think I was reveling in the opportunity to check him out freely—which I was. But I was also adding some fuel to our banter. I enjoyed silly conversations like these with him. He had a sharp wit and could always make me laugh. Not to mention, anything was better than silence.

"I'm noticing a few things," I explained.

"Care to share?"

I shrugged. "You kind of fit the M.O."

"For what?"

"A modern day psycho."

He chuckled. "You're shitting me."

Despite how badly I wanted to laugh, I held it in and managed to keep my shoulders from shaking. When I was sure I wouldn't break, I met his eyes briefly and gave him another innocent shrug.

"Okay," he drawled. "I'll bite. _How_ do I fit the M.O. Insight me."

I settled into my seat as I pretended to think.

"You're charming and great with people. You can get them to do pretty much anything you want," I began listing.

"Interesting observation," he noted.

"You're handsome—" He perked up at that one. _Of course. _"—don't give me that look! You've heard it a million times, I'm sure."

"What else?"

"You're also seemingly perfect." I squinted at him. "_Too _perfect… and so... I've come to the conclusion that there must be something wrong with you—"

"Psychopathy," he jumped in with mirthful eyes.

"So it would seem," I tried to deliver the reply in the most profound tone, but that only lead to a tiny fit of giggles. _Eh, guess the game's over._ At this point there was no use in pretending anyways. The conversation had passed the boarder of ridiculousness a while ago.

"That all, detective?"

I lifted a brow at him.

"First I was a doctor, and now I'm a detective?"

"Role play," he winked before returning his attention to the road. I was glad he was too busy rounding a sharp turn to see the blush creeping up my face.

"What?" I sputtered because how could I not? I hadn't been expecting that… though, maybe I should have. The more time I spent with Edward, the more I realized he was unafraid of speaking his mind—no matter how inappropriate.

"W-what?" he teasingly repeated. I would have hit him in the shoulder had he not been driving. He knew that too judging from his smug smile.

"That's not what we were doing," I muttered as I watched the trees fly by.

"It wasn't?" he gasped, laying on the false surprise thickly. This boy loved watching me squirm. "Damn."

_Edward: 1 Bella: 0_

Thankfully it wasn't long before we pulled into a long driveway and I was able to change the subject while my blush began to fade.

"Edward, where are—" The rest of my sentence caught in my throat as one of the nicest houses I had ever laid eyes upon came into view. It was by no means a mansion or anything like that but it was certainly extravagant. You could tell whoever owned it was well off. Three stories worth of beauty hidden in a quiet expanse of green.

"Home sweet home." I hadn't even realized he had parked the car. My expression must have been amusing because he reached over and gently took hold of my chin, closing my parted mouth for me. He chuckled as I looked at him with eyes still widened. "It's just a house—come on."

He got out of the car without waiting for a reply and I followed suit.

Finally finding my voice, I asked "Why are we here?"

His hand stilled on the door he was about to unlock and he spoke over his shoulder. "Where else would we go? It's a Saturday. We can't exactly walk around town, now can we?"

_He has a point. _We couldn't just waltz into town and spend the day together without more than a few people talking. Even though I was almost certain we hadn't been seen kissing by anyone we knew back at school, what we did after Edward's game was still risky. It was my fault for failing to think about my actions. I hoped it wouldn't come back to haunt me. I wanted Rose to find out from me, not from rumors spreading through the halls. From now on we couldn't be that careless.

I nodded in agreement, following after him when he stepped inside. As I took a look around the foyer, I suddenly remembered something. "Your parents are okay with this, right?"

The sound of the front door locking made me turn around. Edward was leaning against the door with his arms folded.

"They'd have to be around long enough to care," he said coolly. I was afraid he'd resort back to the brooding person I'd been in the car with earlier, but he instead flashed a crooked smile and reassured me. "Relax, we're good. They don't mind."

With that piece of information, I went back to looking around the room. The walls were grey, bare aside from a few meticulously placed paintings. I couldn't help noticing the lack of family photographs. Usually when I entered someone's house there was at least one personal photo—here their was none.

"Think you'll be able to entertain yourself for ten minutes?" When my attention snapped back to him, he motioned towards the staircase behind him. "I'm gonna go take a quick shower and then the rest of the day is ours."

"Go ahead," I nodded as I pulled out my phone and held it up. "I need to make a call anyways."

When Edward was upstairs, I glanced down at my phone screen and sighed. _Act natural._

Scrolling through my contacts, I tapped on the name I wanted and waited as the call went through. I only had to wait a ring and a half before there was an answer.

"I don't know how much more of this I can take," Rose groaned.

"Hello to you too," I chuckled. "Having fun?"

There was a loud sigh from the other end and a flopping sound. I heard nothing else and thought the call had disconnected when I heard Rose's muffled voice.

I couldn't make out what she was saying though, so I asked her to speak up "What was that?"

"This entire trip has been hell." She spoke clearly now. "Why do we come down here every year? My mother and grandmother do nothing but bicker! And when they're not doing that they're making those bitchy comments with smiles on their faces, as if they haven't just said something totally insulting—ugh they're arguing as we speak. Something about tea..."

She muffled a groan.

This wasn't the first time I had heard about trouble between Mrs. Hale and the _original_ Mrs. Hale—a distinction Rose's grandmother had mentioned jokingly on more than one occasion. Though I doubt Rose's mother saw the humor. I'd met both of them. Separately they were wonderful women, but together… the claws came out and things got nasty.

"I'm sorry," I offered up weakly.

She surprised me by laughing. "Yeah me too—sorry my father's not only completely whipped but also too much of a mamma's boy to do anything about it. He's screwed either way."

I laughed through my nose. Mr. Hale was a vicious lawyer in the courtroom, but when it came to the two most prominent women in his life, he was as brave as a frightened kitten.

"So what have you been up to?" she asked a moment later.

_Quite a lot_, I thought. What I ended up telling her was a bored sounding "Nothing interesting."

"Really? Anything happen since I left?"

"Nothing worth talking about." I borrowed Edward's words from earlier. It was startling how easily I'd slipped into a role of deception. A few days ago I was stumbling over my words and now… I felt like someone else entirely, someone who could easily lie to her best friend without breaking a sweat. My words sounded so convincing; even I nearly believed them for a second.

Maybe I was returning back to normal sooner than I thought.

"And here I thought you'd entertain me with the latest gossip." A part of me wanted to scoff because I just so happened to _be_ the most gossip worthy person in Forks at the moment—except Edward Cullen was the only one who was aware of that fact.

Her words hung there for a beat until she cleared her throat. "Hey, listen. Can we talk?"

"We are talking," I reminded her with a light laugh.

She didn't even chuckle and I could feel the shifting mood instantaneously. "No… I mean for _real_. I want to talk about something with you."

"Alright. Shoot."

She let out a deep breath "I just want to let you know I'll be backing off when I come back to school Tuesday. You must've noticed how smothering I've been this past week—I'm sure everyone did."

I nodded as if she could see me. "Can I ask why—not that I don't want to see you as much as possible—but what brought it on?"

"Just know I have my reasons, okay?" she said quietly.

"So you won't tell me." It wasn't a question.

"Not unless I have to."

What did that mean? First Edward and now Rose. I was beginning to think I wasn't the only one with hidden secrets in this town. As I was still going over what she had said, I heard a faint knocking but I knew it wasn't coming from my end. Rose cursed under her breath.

"Look, I have to go but can you answer one question for me?"

"Even though you won't answer any of mine?" I argued in annoyance.

"Isabella." My fingers stopped running along the railing at my side. Rose using my full name freaked me out; her tone reminded me of my mother's whenever she was about to give me an earful for something I'd done wrong.

"I'm listening."

"You'd tell me, right?" I didn't know what she was referring to. "We've been best friends forever and we've never thought twice about coming to each other when we needed to. I know I can't keep an eye on you all the time, but you'd tell me if _anything_ happened I should know about, right?"

My brows furrowed. I didn't know where all of this was coming from, but I began to feel that guilt creeping up on me again—this time for an entirely different reason. Rose was still waiting for my response so I said the only thing I could.

"Of course I would."

"Good. I just don't want to see you hurt again." It was silent again as I tried to understand. "I'll talk to you later."

She hung up before I could get a goodbye out. _Well… that was… odd._ I had no idea my call to Rose would leave me with more questions than I had to begin with. I wasn't sure how long I sat there staring at my phone, trying to figure out what Rose had been talking about, but eventually Edward reappeared, freshly showered and in a pair of black basketball shorts. His hair was still wet and fell messily into his eyes, a few droplets landing on his chest—a chest leading to a pair of abs that couldn't be ignored.

"Oh, come on!" I cried out.

His brows shot up at my reaction and his steps froze. "What?"

My mind was still reeling from my conversation with Rose to worry about embarrassment. I stood up and met him in the middle of the staircase, jabbing a finger into his toned stomach. His muscles contracted at the touch, making things so much worse for me.

He glanced down at the area where I'd made contact in confusion, but as always, it wasn't long before realization hit and a smirk formed. As I was bringing my hand back to my side, he reached out and caught my wrist, bringing my palm to lie against the rough planes of his stomach. Watching them contract and feeling them tightening right beneath my skin were two very different things. _I prefer the second option. _What was this boy doing to me?

"Edward," I warned, but I had no idea what I was warning him about. Maybe when I said his name I was actually trying to warn myself.

"Perk of having a coach who works you like you're in the pros," he whispered.

"Remind me to thank him one of these days…" I replied automatically, still in a daze.

His body shook lightly causing me to break out of my stupor and recoil my hand before I did something stupid.

"You know, when I came down here you were staring at your phone with a weird look on your face—didn't even hear me call your name." I wasn't surprised when he told me this. When I got lost in thought, sometimes I'd just stay there and become oblivious to the outside world. "Everything okay?"

I sighed with a small smile, appreciating the fact that he cared enough to ask. "Everything's fine. Just some more confusion—nothing you need to worry about?"

"Okay…" He took my hand and led me down the stairs. "I might not have to worry, but you still look like you could use a distraction and I have the perfect thing in mind."

_You're already a distraction_, I wanted to tell him. "And what would that me?"

"A swim," he grinned.

"It's not warm enough outside."

He walked backwards and continued to pull me along. "Good thing you know someone with an indoor pool then, huh?"

I bit my lip in disappointment as he continued to drag me along. "I don't have my swimsuit with me."

He stopped walking suddenly and I crashed into his chest. "What's your point?"

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**Might upload an additional chapter sooner than Friday. Tomorrow's a free day and I've got writing time... plus I'm sure you're wondering what happens next ;)**

**Thanks for reading guys and don't forget to review! **

**Twitter: Crimson_Harps**

**Note: I appreciate the grammar corrections and I completely welcome them, but please remember that I'm not a professional nor do I claim to be. I'm also doing this on my own... just saying :/ I wrote this chapter in a single day and re-read it only once. Mistakes are bound to be there...**


	9. Chapter 9

**Technically this is the bonus chapter. You guys are getting another one after this if I can manage to finish it :)**

**Enjoy!**

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**Chapter 9**

EPOV

She frowned at me, perplexed. _Oh c'mon, Swan, don't get all shy now. _

"Just leave on the essentials. It's nothing I haven't seen before," I meant in general, but I knew she would assume I was referring to her specifically, to all of our supposed hook ups. The tinge of pink coating her cheeks said it all.

"I don't know…" Her apprehension was strong, but I had a feeling my persuasion could be stronger. I began trailing the pad of my thumb across her wrist, my attempt at clouding her judgment just enough to get a yes out of her.

"It'll be fun," I coaxed in a low voice.

She twisted her mouth slightly and glanced away, debating. I ducked my head to her eye level and caught her gaze, giving her my best version of a pout.

"Okay," she finally said with a laugh. Before my grin could split my face in two, she quickly added "But on one condition."

_This should be good._

"Name it."

"If I don't get to wear proper swim attire... then neither do you."

Was she kidding me? She was speaking to an eighteen year old guy. That didn't sound like a condition to me, it sounded like our afternoon was about to get a hell of a lot more interesting.

"Done," I smirked.

My fingers intertwined with hers as I led her throughout the rest of the house. When we reached the pool, I left her on her own and went in search of some towels. I knew there were plenty around the pool area, but I figured she wouldn't feel as awkward if she removed her clothes without my presence. Being a guy, I could honestly care less. Most of us wouldn't think twice about stripping down to our boxers, even with an entire audience watching, but I had a feeling Bella would appreciate the privacy.

I grabbed a few towels from one of the upstairs bathrooms, giving her some extra time. I could already picture that blush on her face if I walked back in while she was still getting undressed. Watching her blush always put a smirk on my face and left me feeling thoroughly satisfied with myself, but I wouldn't be that much of a dick today—according to Emmett I was already acting like a big enough one as it was.

When I made it back I didn't see Bella in the spot where I left her, clothes were draped over one of the pool chairs, but still no sign of her. She wouldn't just wander off in her state of dress. I nearly called her name before I noticed something beginning to surface in the water.

I tossed the towels on another chair and walked over to the edge of the pool, watching as Bella's face broke through the water's surface. I crossed my arms over my chest.

"You started without me." I said in half-serious reproach. She smiled coyly and swam until she neared the place where I was standing.

"You were taking too long," she giggled, kicking away from the wall and floating on her back. "You're _still_ taking too long! Get in here!"

Chuckling, I removed my shorts. I was about to jump right in when I stopped myself, deciding to get a better look at her. Her eyes were closed and her back was arched, causing her chest to peek out from under the water. I couldn't help myself as I took her in. It didn't matter how much I disliked her, the girl was gorgeous… and she was currently floating in my pool, nothing but a bra and panties on. Who wouldn't take the opportunity to appreciate the view if they were standing where I was?

And appreciate I did. The two navy colored pieces covering her up were simple, none of that frilly lace shit some girls constantly wore, but it was more than enough to grab my attention. She looked sinful in the most innocent way and I was being a greedy fuck, taking full advantage of her obliviousness.

She continued to float around slowly, clearly lost in the feeling of the cool water against her skin. The look of pure relaxation and content on her face reminded me of the Bella I had first met years ago, back when we used to trade smiles instead of sneers. I couldn't remember the last time I had seen her smile—not like that.

_Let's not think about that. _Thinking about that would mean remembering a few other things I wanted to remain dead and buried.

Not wanting to dwell on the past too long, I shook off thoughts of a better time and dove in, slicing through the surface smoothly. As soon as the water hit my overworked muscles I began to feel relief instantly. Hopefully Bella wouldn't object to staying for while—I certainly wouldn't be getting out anytime soon.

When I needed air, I swam back up and shook my hair out.

"About time," I heard from behind me.

Pushing my hair away from my face, I spun around to face her. "Someone's sassy all of a sudden."

She stared at me for a second and I could tell she was biting back a smile. "I am, aren't I? It feels natural for some reason... I don't know how to explain it."

I swam closer to her. "Guess now I know the secret."

"What secret?"

"The secret to getting you to loosen up a bit…" A little closer, almost close enough to grab her. I smirked before I said "All I needed to do was get you out of your clothes."

"Is that a fact?"

"Looks like it."

She laughed through her nose. "Interesting... do you want to know something else?"

As if that sickly-sweet smile on her face wasn't enough warning. I knew something was coming when she continued to keep a foot of distance between us, but I nodded anyways, following. Without warning, I found out exactly what that _something_ turned out to be—a giant splash of water to my face courtesy of Bella Swan. Her laughter was echoing through the room as she darted away to the opposite end of the pool.

I wiped my face and spat out the water in my mouth. "See, Bella… you really shouldn't have gone and done that."

She seemed pretty proud of herself as she kept herself afloat in that corner of hers, a corner I doubt she realized she'd put herself in. Before she could scurry away again, I reached her in a few strokes through the water.

"Oh," she said. "And why's that?"

I braced both arms on either side of her head.

"Because now I have you exactly where I want you," I told her. She looked up at me from under her lashes and replied with the last thing I would have ever expected.

"I know." _Well now... who was playing who?_

I wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her close. As I lifted her up slightly; her hands grabbed onto my shoulders and her legs wrapped around my waist. With her chest where it was, my eyes began a hungry trail from the curves of her breasts to the water droplets on her lips.

"You're doing it again," she whispered, bringing her lips closer as she slid herself into a better position. "You're taking too long."

I met her gaze then, never before having anyone look at me as intensely as she was in that moment. It was enough to threaten my focus, but I managed to hang on—just barely. _You're in control of this, remember that._

"Impatient," I said against her lips and I could have sworn she whimpered into my mouth. How was I supposed to stay in control when she was making sounds like that? _Oh fuck._ She pressed herself against me in the best spot possible, or the worst depending on how you thought about it. I doubt she even knew what she was doing but I knew she'd be feeling my reaction soon if she kept that up.

"Edward."

I scrapped all thoughts of the stupid plan and control for the time being, relying on nothing but pure instinct. We both clearly wanted this. Who was I to deny a girl when she was saying my name like that? I pushed her against the pool's wall for added support and my mouth melded with hers as soon as her back touched the tile.

Time slipped away after that. I couldn't tell whether it was slowing down or speeding up. But I did know one thing for sure; she tasted pretty damn amazing, sweeter than anything I'd ever had before. _Dangerous thoughts_. I knew it, but not once did I consider stopping.

When we both pulled apart for some much needed air, I decided to try something. I'd only go as far as she allowed and I knew she'd stop me eventually.

I nipped at the skin of her neck and she buried her fingers in my hair. The light tugging was all the encouragement I needed. I sucked on the sensitive flesh until I heard her small gasp in my ear. _Hmm..._ f_ound your sweet spot, have we?_

I grinned against her skin and continued to trail kisses lower until I reached her collar bone. This was the part where she was supposed to tell me we were going too fast, but she never did. She had yet to come to her senses… or maybe she didn't want to. The selfish part of me wished she never would, but if she had any sense of self-preservation then she would speak up soon, otherwise I'd probably shove Emmett's words of caution to hell and fuck her right here.

She brought her lips back to mine._ Fuck me. I'm going to hell for this._

Luckily for her, a throat cleared, bringing us both back to reality before we got carried away. Bella's lips ripped away from mine and she pushed me away quickly. Her head snapped toward the sound at the same time that mine did and when I laid my eyes on the person standing above us, I was tempted to just ignore the man.

"Dad," I acknowledged, still slightly out of breath.

He noticed my tone, but said nothing about it. He'd grown used to our relationship over the past few years, we both had. If he wanted things the way they were before, he should have thought about that sooner. Four years sooner. I wasn't the type of person to push things into the past and move forward with a facade of this picture perfect family—not like my mother.

My father smiled with tightened eyes before turning his gaze to Bella. I could see the shift in his demeanor immediately, the way he easily switched from his true self to the personable doctor everybody adored. _What a fucking joke._

"Glad to see you're feeling better, Bella," he voiced.

"Much better, Dr. Cullen." Bella blushed and avoided his eyes, looking like there was nothing she wanted more than to disappear into the wall behind her. For some reason that annoyed the hell out of me.

"Oh, please. No need for that here," he smiled warmly. "Call me Carlisle."

I'd witnessed my father use his effortless charm on plenty of people, but now, watching him pretending to be this stand-up guy in front of Bella pissed me off. _You're pretty much doing the same thing_, I heard in the back of my mind. It was the truth, but it only fueled my irritation.

"You're wasting your time. I doubt she's interested." Once the words were out, they were lingering in silence for a few beats. I was staring at my father's astonished blue eyes, but I could feel Bella's gaze as she remained speechless next to me.

My father's face hardened. "May I have a word? It'll only take a moment," he mustered up another smile for Bella and walked out of the room without waiting for me.

I ran a hand through my hair and glanced back at her. She was staring down at the water, probably trying to figure out what the hell just happened. _I'm sorry. _I almost spoke the words aloud. A part of me wished she hadn't seen that.

"I'll be right back." Instead of reassuring her with a smile, I kissed her once chastely and lifted myself out of the pool. I grabbed a towel and followed in the direction my father had gone.

I had barely shut the door behind me when I heard his fuming voice. "What the hell was that, Edward? That was completely uncalled for."

I scoffed. "Was it? Bella's a pretty girl, dad. Surely you noticed."

He stood up straighter. "I don't like what you're implying here. You're clearly seeing things that aren't there, Edward. Bella's a _child_—my damn patient for god's sake!"

"Since when has that stopped you before?"

"Vic—" I gave him a warning glare.

"Don't you dare say her name in this house."

He sighed tiredly. "_She_ was twenty-seven. Your mother and I had been distant for months and… and it was a stupid mistake. That's it. I don't know how many times I need to explain this to you."

"You can explain it as many times as you want, doesn't mean I have to accept what you did."

"I'm not asking you to," he gritted out. "Jesus, it's been nearly four years! Your mother and I have gotten past it… why can't you?"

"Maybe," I thought aloud. "Because unlike mom, I can see past your bullshit."

His brow twitched, a telltale sign whenever he was reaching the end of his fuse. I watched as he took a moment to compose himself.

"Regardless of how you feel..." he began. "It doesn't change the fact that what you said in there was out of line, Edward. I'm still your father, like it or not. You want to hate me for what I did? Fine, hate me—by all means," His arms opened in invitation. "But I will _not_ have you disrespecting me in my own home—especially not in front of a guest."

I bit my tongue. There was no need to continue this conversation.

His pager began to sound, breaking through the thick tension in the room. He checked it and sighed before looking at me.

"You'd better get going," I said emotionless. "They need you to fix everyone. That's what you're good at, right? Fixing things?" _  
_

He walked away without another word. When I heard the front door slam shut, I did the same.

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**So... guess that knocks out the theory some of you had about Carlisle cheating with Renee. Good guess, but not in this story guys. Maybe in my next one lol.**

**Question: Anybody else missing a tiny little pixie? ;) That wink isn't a spoiler or anything... nope, not at all...**

**Thanks for reading, reviewing, sharing and all of the love.**

**Twitter: Crimson_Harps**


	10. Chapter 10

**Tried to reply to as many reviews as possible, but I read them all. Loving all of these theories! Some of you are pretty damn close.**

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**Chapter 10**

BPOV

I sat there—one part embarrassment and two parts confusion. That was… I didn't even know what to make of _that_. When I'd glanced up to see Carlisle standing there, initially I was mortified. The man had just walked in to find us in a less than innocent position... but that mortification had quickly turned to shock as I watched the interaction between Edward and his father unfold before me. I had noticed some signs of tension where his father was concerned, but what I'd just witnessed went far beyond anything I could have ever imagined.

I really did try my best to avoid eavesdropping, but the room was so silent and the door they were behind wasn't exactly sound proof. Their voices carried through. As I listened to the murmur of their conversation, I caught a few pieces here and there. Enough for me to get a pretty good picture of where all the tension came from.

Carlisle had an affair... and his wife hadn't left him? Maybe there was more to the story than that. I wasn't in a position to make assumptions about things I knew nothing about. But even so, I could now see why Edward had a... _strained _relationship with his dad. I began to feel sorry for Mrs. Cullen. That must have been devastating for her... and to love a man so much she forgave an unforgivable _mistake_, as Carlisle had termed it. I hadn't a clue how she managed to do such a thing... and obviously Edward felt the same. He didn't sound too fond of his mother's forgiving heart.

It was quiet for a long while and then there was a loud slam. I clutched my towel closer to my chest as I waited for the aftermath. Edward came through the door a few moments later, a stony expression on his face. He remained silent and sat down on the chair next mine. His forearms rested on his knees and he stared at the ground. I did the same because I wasn't sure what to say. After tracing the floor panels over a few times, I realized we'd be trapped in silence if I didn't speak up.

"Edward," I said carefully.

He laughed harshly. "Nice guy isn't he?"

I wanted to agree. Dr. Cullen had never been anything other than kind to me, but given what I'd heard and the way Edward spoke about him, that hint of loathing that always laced his words—there was a very big chance Carlisle Cullen wasn't the man everyone perceived him to be.

"Is he? You tell me."

He looked at me then, as if I'd spoken of something foreign.

"You don't buy his act? Most people do."

I shook my head and shrugged. "Sure, he _seems_ nice, but I don't think you would have reacted like you did if that were true." _I also heard enough to get a better sense of the type of man your dad is. _The thought was never voiced, instead I added, "You don't strike me as the type to lash out without reason."

His gaze left mine and cut to the water. "You're right. I'm not."

He didn't elaborate and I didn't push him either. There was obviously something to tell, a long story I guessed, but I didn't think forcing it out of him would help matters. When he was ready to talk, I'd be more than willing to listen.

"Thought so," I smiled even though he wouldn't see it. "I might only remember a few things about you, but I think I've seen enough in the past week to make judgments about the type of person you are."

I saw his mouth begin to curve upwards as he continued to stare at the lapping water. As though he had suddenly caught on to something, his brows knitted together and that smile slowly collapsed.

He swallowed. "What… what do you mean by _remember a few things_?"

It was then I realized I had never thought to share the flashbacks only he seemed able to evoke.

"Oh, um I've been getting these flashes of memory ever since…" I began to trail off, but decided to just tell him. It was better he knew anyway. "Ever since you kissed me."

His brow only worried further. I nearly reached out and smoothed the lines out for him. _Is it really that strange?_

"What kind of memories?" He was still adamantly focusing on the water's subtle movements, but there was something far away and desperate about his voice, and so I proceeded to tell him everything. I described both memories in as much detail as I could. Although he wasn't looking at me, my blush began as I relayed the part where he unzipped my dress. Stupid considering we'd been all over one another less than ten minutes ago. I think it was what happened _after_... and what very well might have happened had Carlisle not interrupted that coated my cheeks in pink.

I pushed my ill-timed modesty aside and went on.

"That's the reason I trusted you after that first day. When you kissed me I remembered us doing the same thing and…" I bit my lip and he finally turned to me with anticipating eyes. "Considering what else I saw, it would be stupid of me to think it didn't lead to more. And then the second one… it was so real, Edward! I felt like—" I closed my eyes briefly, shaking my head. "No, I _remember_ being there."

"So… you're remembering." He had that distant tone again, as if he were speaking to himself. It made me shift in my seat. "That's good."

As far as meaning went, his tone and his words were on opposite ends of the spectrum.

"It is," I agreed before mumbling to myself. "Or at least I thought so…"

"No, it is," he assured firmly, but I could see something simmering in his eyes, the way they failed to connect with his smile. When he realized I wasn't convinced, he reached out and touched my cheek tenderly. "Hey, I'm glad you're remembering, okay? My head's still all over the place… but I really am happy."

His eyes brightened as he dropped his hand. He tickled my side causing me to jerk back, something between a yelp and giggle falling from my lips. "Enough of this sappy shit. As I recall, I promised you an entire day."

He stood up and offered me his hand, which I accepted with a smile. I was glad to see him returning to his usual self, the boy I was fairly certain I was falling for.

.

.

.

EPOV

She was remembering things that never happened. Or maybe they did… maybe she was confusing memories she had of someone else with some of our own. All I knew for sure was that, if those were actually real memories, whoever she was remembering definitely wasn't me.

For starters, we'd never even kissed and we sure as hell didn't ever find ourselves going farther than that. And the guy in the other one… he sounded like he was drunk. Another problem. I'd never been one for drinking. The first and only time I allowed myself to get talked into having enough alcohol to get wasted, I was sixteen and spent most of the night puking my guts out.

Never again.

Any drink I'd had after that was never enough to get me passed the buzzed stage. And again, I was sixteen, that was almost two years after things between Bella and I went South. A majority of that night was awful, but I remembered it and I never once had any type of conversation with Bella. She might not have had all of the details, but I did. She was distorting her memories, placing me in places I didn't belong. This must have been a sign, right? We obviously lived in a twisted world where good things happened to bad people. I should've taken it for what it was—dumb luck. I should've found this entire thing hilarious.

But I couldn't… and I didn't. What was I even doing anymore?

_"Bella!" When I tried to reach for her wrist, she jerked it back as soon my fingers brushed her skin. She continued with her hurried steps down the rest of the hall. Of course, I followed._

_She stopped at her locker and spun the lock angrily, messing up on her first attempt. With a huff she tried again and yanked the door open. I stood there watching her in confusion. This wasn't the Bella I had gotten to know over the past few months. There was something wrong with her. I had first noticed it this morning. She was acting like a completely different person and I had to know why._

_"Would you mind telling me what's going on with you?"_

_She pulled out a binder and began shoving it in her bag. I could see her frustration build as the edges kept getting caught, but she continued her attempts to shove it inside. "There's nothing to tell—ugh!"_

_I reached out for her arm, this time quicker than she was able to pull away. She halted her efforts as my fingers grasped her wrist. My other hand adjusted the binder's angle, allowing it to slide in easily._

_Bella was frozen, eyes transfixed on the light grip I still had on her wrist._

_"Bella?"_

_"I…" She blinked before jerking her arm away, harsher than last time. If my grip had been tighter she might have broken a bone with the force of her pull. "I need to go."_

_She slammed her locker shut. Without so much as a glance in my direction she began walking away. I called after but she didn't turn around. I wanted to go after her again, but I decided against it. A few hours… I'd give her a few hours and then I'd figure out what this was all about._

_We'd managed to attract a few curious eyes in the past few minutes. I threw a sneer at a group whose gazes were beginning to piss me off, sure enough, they scurried off. I stared down the now empty hall. _What's going on with you?

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**I'm 95% finished with chapter 11. I'll definitely be able to give you guys an early chapter tomorrow... FINALLY lol. I'm really excited about this next one. It's my new favorite chapter. I can promise an even bigger flashback. You'll see when things went wrong.**

**Question: What are your theories now? **

**Twitter: Crimson_Harps**

**Thanks for reading and reviewing guys! Love you all.**

**-Harper **

**Oh... and please avoid being meanies Grammar Nazi's. That is all. :P**


	11. Chapter 11

**We've reached 700 reviews! You guys continue to blow me away.**

**Update 8/11/14: I've taken the advice from a few of you and placed all of the flashbacks in italics. I know reading large portions in italics sometimes gets annoying, but I think it's necessary for FHN. There will be a lot more memories and I don't want to create confusion. Hope this helps guys :)**

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**Chapter 11**

EPOV

What _is_ going on with you?

I glanced down at a sleeping Bella, the same girl who walked away from me, leaving me confused and in need of answers. She wasn't running now. She was right here and I was still asking myself the same questions. Once I started thinking back to that time it was damn near impossible to stop.

_It was almost midnight. I'd spent most of the past two weeks with my fingers dug into my hair trying to figure out how my life had flipped upside down in a matter of weeks. First my father and his fresh out of med school whore. Now Bella was acting strange and avoiding me. She'd all but vanished in the last few days. Alright… not _literally_. I still saw her, but I hadn't had any luck in getting her to talk to me._

_She'd always disappear when I tried to approach her. Sometimes, she'd run off when I simply looked at her, as if she anticipated what I was about to do. It was frustrating as hell. Nine days. I'd given her nine days without forcing a conversation and now I'd reached the point where I was fed up with waiting for something that would never happen. She wasn't planning on coming to me when she was ready… she wasn't planning on coming to me at all._

_So I made the decision to bike the six miles it took to reach Bella's house. Clearly I wasn't thinking since I failed to notice the rain clouds beginning to muddy up the sky. I also failed to grab a jacket before I snuck out. By the time I reached my destination I was soaked, pissed off and I wasn't going to leave until she at least spoke to me. After all that? Not a chance in hell._

_I wouldn't recommend climbing a slippery tree during a rain storm, but I couldn't exactly just knock on the front door, now could I? Chief Swan's parked cruiser practically glared at me as I crept along the side of the house. Warning me to turn my ass around and go home, which of course I didn't._

_Again, I was fifteen and stupid—wasn't thinking._

_I miraculously made it to Bella's window without breaking my neck. Her blinds were illuminated by a yellow glow so at least I knew I wasn't waking her. Rather than knocking and risking a potential scream when she saw a figure outside her window, I sent her a quick text._

_**Don't freak out. I'm outside.**_

_A shadow crossed her window, so I knew she had received the message. This would have been a _really _bad time to ignore a guy's text._

Why would I freak out? Outside as in…

_**As in outside your window. A little help would be nice.**_

_She didn't reply and for a second I thought she might actually leave me out there. I sighed in relief when her blinds flew up. Even though I'd given her warning, her eyes widened once she saw me. She rushed to open her window._

_"Edward!" she hissed. "What are you doing?"_

_"Well, as you can see, I'm taking this whole 'let's avoid Edward thing' beautifully."_

_"You're soaked!"_

_"Not exactly my day," I deadpanned. "Are you going to let me in or not? I'm about two seconds away from falling to my death. No pressure to make a decision or anything… but seriously, Bella."_

_Her shoulders slumped and she reached out for my forearm. With her help I made it through the window, careful not to make too much noise as I stepped onto the floorboards of her room._

_"You know," I said casually. "You guys should really think about cutting that bran—"_

_When I saw her arms crossed I shut up._

_"You didn't really come here to talk about an over grown Maple tree, did you?"_

_At least she was talking to me._

_"No," I took a step forward. "I came because—"_

_There was a knock on her door that left me frozen and in fear of making any sudden movements. _Shit_. Bella gasped at the sudden noise, but didn't waste any time as she pushed me in the direction of her closet and shoved me inside. My back slammed into the wall causing a book to fall off the shelf, barely missing my head and tumbling off of my shoulder. I bit back the curse that was begging to come out. She held a finger to her lips and gave me a stern look before rushing in the direction of the knocking._

_"Bells?"_

Can this night get any worse?

_Through the small slit she'd left, I saw her open her bedroom door only enough for her to peek her head out._

_"Hi, dad," she said a little too cheerfully. _Subtle. I might as well announce my presence.

_"Are you alright? What was that noise?"_

_"Noise?" she laughed. "Oh… you must be talking about the book I dropped. You scared me—thought you were in bed."_

_"I was." His voice sounded tired. "I'm sorry I scared you, but they need some backup and everyone else is tied up. You gonna be alright alone for a few hours?"_

_"I'll be fine," she nodded. "Be careful."_

_I kept waiting for his cop senses to kick in... or maybe it was a dad thing, but I felt like he somehow knew there was a boy in his home who wasn't supposed to be there. Every second he stood there, I waited for the moment when he'd barge in and find me._

_Even when he said his goodbyes I waited. I watched as he pressed a kiss to her forehead and promised to stay safe for her. She remained at the door listening until she heard his cruiser's sirens fading down the block. I released the breath I had been holding and pushed the door open with my foot. It was a good thing I had enough sense to hide my bike behind a shrub. That could have ended very badly for me had I been too stupid to do so. _You just dodged a bullet, Cullen**.**

_She took a seat at her desk, her back facing me._

_"What are you doing here, Edward?" Her voice was so quiet I barely heard her._

_I pulled myself off of the ground and came up behind her. She was fidgeting with her fingers; they froze when my shadow blocked her light._

_"We need to talk and you've been doing everything possible to avoid a conversation," I said. "What's going on?"_

_"Nothing's going on."_

_I rolled my eyes. Did she really think I was that dense? "You can't even look at me. You really expect me to believe nothing's wrong?"_

_"Yes."_

_"Bella—"_

_"You should go."_

Like hell I will!

_"You don't get to do that," I told her. "You don't get to wake up one morning and act as if this entire summer never happened, not without telling me why."_

_She was still avoiding eye contact so I spun her chair around and forced her to look at me, _really _look at me. When her eyes finally met mine, I was so stricken by their dullness that I allowed her to push me away and head for the door._

_"You don't know what you're talking about, Edward." There it was again. That flatness. She sounded completely disconnected from what she was saying._

_By then I'd had it. I threw up both arms in pure frustration. "You're right, I don't! So explain it to me!"_

_"There's nothing to explain!" She seemed shocked by her own outburst. I could see her chest rising and falling as she took a moment to calm herself. When her eyes returned to mine I saw that lifelessness I had grown to hate. She reached for the doorknob, clearing her throat quietly. "There's nothing to explain… and w-we're done here."_

_Her brief stumble over her words was the only indication that she hadn't been completely overtaken by an emotionless person I couldn't even recognize. My reply flew out before my verbal filter could make contact with the rational part of my brain._

_"So that's the way it's going be, then?" I spat. "You're just suddenly going to be a bitch without giving me a reason?"_

Such an asshole_. I wanted to rip some of my hair out. Even without seeing her reaction I knew I'd made a mistake. I was still pissed off at her sudden mood swing, but I shouldn't have spoken to her like that. Before I could backpedal and apologize she spun around._

_"I'll tell you why…" I was relieved to see she had some damn emotion in her eyes—finally! Even as they narrowed I was glad to see... _something_... until the next few words left her mouth. "It's because you're _just _like your father and you don't even realize it."_

_I knew I shouldn't have lashed out at her the way I did, but for her to say something like that to me? After everything I'd told her. She _knew_... she had to have known she was driving the first nail into the coffin of whatever we might've had._

_I returned her glare, all thoughts of apologies long gone. "What the fuck is that supposed to mean?"_

_"It means you're one in the same," she shrugged unapologetic._

_"Bella," I gritted out in warning. She couldn't say shit like that to me—not now._

_"To answer your question," she said in that same icy tone. Who was this girl? "Yeah… that's the way it's going to be."_

_My jaw was locked so tightly I was surprised none of my teeth shattered. She was pushing me away. I could see it, and up until that point I had been trying to figure out why, hoping I could fix things. But that was before._

_Before she compared me to my father, before she settled herself back into that cold and emotionless role she was playing so well. I was finished trying to figure out what was going on in that head of hers._

_My eyes never left hers as I walked right up to her. Taking a page out of her own book, I stared back at her with the same cold eyes._

_"That's what you want?"_

_"That's…"She cast her eyes down. "What I want."_

_"_Done_." I whispered through gritted teeth._

Sometimes when thinking back, I remembered her flinching before I stormed out of there… but it had been so long I couldn't tell you for sure. Maybe that was just a detail I'd created over the years because the girl I left inside that room had ice encrusted around her heart. She didn't care at all… and she left me with little choice but to follow her lead. As I biked home that night, I formed a frozen layer of my own. I was cold on the inside as I thought about everything wrong in my life. I couldn't feel the rain as it hit my face. I couldn't feel my clothes growing heavier with icy water, and I definitely couldn't feel anything for Bella.

Nothing.

Unbeknownst to either of us, we'd signed a binding agreement of hatred that night. Whenever my conscious began nagging at me for the way I treated her, I'd always been able to think back to that night and harden up. I'd been able to remind myself which one of us had made the decision to fuck up what I thought was a pretty good friendship, a friendship that had potential to turn into more. _She'd_ been the one, not the other way around.

Even with this entire plan, I'd been able to hold back guilt… up until now.

Just looking at her now, asleep and curled up at my side. Nearly three movies later. She had been animatedly watching for hours and the one movie that should have kept her awake, the very same one that nearly caused Emmett to piss his pants—put her out like a light. _She was something._

She was wearing her own shirt, but I had lent her a pair of sweats when we both decided on doing nothing and watching movies. The pants were ridiculously over-sized for her, drowning her in cotton. They made her look tinier than she actually was, fragile even.

Someone should burst in here and get her as far away from me as humanly possible. I wouldn't fight them.

Here she was falling for all of my bullshit, my lies were so seamless they had caused her to imagine things. I didn't need my father's doctorate degree to know something could very well be wrong… and yeah, I'd admit it, I was concerned. I also felt like an asshole. Great time for me to figure that out, huh?

I knew this thing between us wouldn't last forever. From the start I had this warped idea in my mind. Thinking I'd revel as I watched the train wreck once she remembered who she was—who _I _was.

But now… this was one disaster I didn't want to be around to witness. It was also a disaster I wanted to remedy as soon as possible. Something I knew I couldn't do.

Before, it was easy to convince myself that Bella deserved to be fooled like this—the one who woke up one morning and decided I was suddenly someone she wanted nothing to do with. See, _that_ Bella I could fool without an ounce of remorse, but this one… hell, this one was an entirely different story. This Bella was sweet, innocent—far too trusting for her own good. Half the time I touched her I always had this voice in the back of my mind reminding me that what I was doing was wrong, like I was tainting something. Up until now I had been ignoring that voice. At the same time, I knew it was too late. From all angles of the situation the outcome wouldn't be pretty. Her memory would sort itself out eventually... and I had no fucking idea what to do about it.

Where did I go from here?

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**That's all until Friday.**

**Twitter: Crimson_Harps **

**Followers occasionally read things before the rest of you... lol just throwin' that out there.**

**Thanks for reading and reviewing!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Sorry for the late update, but it's been a shitty week. Have no fear though, I'll be back on track come next Friday. **

**-Read through this exactly one time. As far as error goes and the quality of the chapter, may the odds be ever in my favor. Thanks for the love guys.**

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**Chapter 12**

BPOV

I had been smiling too much. I hadn't been able to stop ever since Edward had driven off Saturday evening. I blamed him entirely.

_When we'd first pulled up to my house that night, I hesitated. He had been acting strange ever since I'd woken up to a screen filled with rolling credits and a spaced out Edward. He wasn't even watching the screen, he was staring at the ground, lost in his head._

_"What's wrong?" I finally asked because I couldn't let him leave without knowing._

_"Why do you think something's wrong?"_

_I sighed. There were few things more annoying than when a question was answered with a question. He was deflecting._

_"You've been quiet," I pointed out to him. "And you haven't smirked in awhile—spill, Cullen."_

_He turned to me, forcing a lame smile on his face, but it wasn't the one I wanted. That smile wasn't him. I shook my head._

_He reached over and picked up a lock of my hair, pulling gently and watching as it ran through both of his fingers. When he came to the end of its length, he let it fall and his eyes cut to mine._

_While he was looking at me intensely, I was drawn to his lips. They began to curve in my favorite way._

_"That's the one," I whispered._

_He cupped my face and coaxed me into shifting closer. I closed my eyes and anticipated a kiss, which he gave me—on the cheek. It was mildly disappointing, but I couldn't complain. He had better sense than me. My father could come outside at any moment and once we started kissing it would be difficult to stop. We'd already been caught by one of our fathers. He was saving me from a double dose of mortification._

_"Goodnight, Bella."_

_I wasn't sure how I made it inside by myself, or how I managed to keep myself from flinging open his passenger side door and putting his lips where I really wanted them most… but I did. He drove away._

_The warmth of his lips lingered on my skin even after he was long gone._

As did the stupid smile on my face, something my father acknowledged on Sunday night during dinner. He had paused, mid-chew, to ask me what I was so happy about. Nothing came between that man and his food, once he'd picked up his fork, it was almost impossible to get more than a mumble from him. So when he slowly put his fork down and stared at me strangely, I knew I was being far too obvious.

My lame excuse —something about acing a test—seemed to work on him, but I had to make a conscious effort to tone it down from now on.

On Monday morning, I was met with more stares than I would have preferred… and by _more_, I mean all of them. I turned to my dad.

"Did you really have to drop me off in this car?"

I didn't mean to sound like a brat, but I was fully capable of driving a car and this was all ridiculously unnecessary. My memory had a few glitches. I didn't forget the laws of the road… he seemed to think otherwise.

He chuckled. "I remember when you used to love being driven to school in this thing."

He was right. There was a time when I thought my father's occupation was the coolest thing in the world, although, back then I was also missing two front teeth and obsessed with Disney Channel. My poor naive self had no idea arriving to school in a cop car drew attention—the unwanted kind.

When he saw my flat expression, he rolled his eyes.

"It's only today. Rose will be back tomorrow."

"I know she will, but we have a car in perfect working order," I reminded him. "A car I should be driving."

"Look, Bells, you have an appointment to get checked out Friday. I took the afternoon off. Just hold out for a few more days. If they give you a bill of perfect health… the keys are yours."

I squinted at him. "Promise?"

He tapped his badge twice, which was pinned directly over his heart. "I promise."

I was satisfied with that. Once my father gave you his word, it was pretty much a done deal. With a happy smile, I thanked him for the ride and stepped out of the car. After he pulled away, most of the attention had already been swept away from my direction. I noticed Edward at his usual spot and began walking over.

Rose had been convincing me to avoid the front entrance for the past week, but Rose wasn't here and she'd also promised to ease up a bit… so why shouldn't I use the usual entrance?

I'd get to my first period so much quicker. Common sense. _Sure… common sense. Green eyed common sense._

He noticed my approach and maneuvered himself towards the outside of the group. His friends were all huddled around someone's phone, laughing at whatever was on the screen. Edward seemed to care less about the source of their laughter, his eyes were on me.

As I was about to pass him I felt his fingers brush against the back of my hand. The contact only lasted a split second, but it was enough to send my heart into a tizzy.

_Heart into a tizzy? _Oh god… I was beginning to sound like those romance novels I always found scattered across my mother's house.

.

.

.

At lunch, while most people headed towards the cafeteria, I decided to head outside and sketch at one of the picnic tables. I knew what would happen if I was in the same room as Edward. Without Rose there to hold my attention, it would undoubtedly drift towards him and then we'd be sitting there like two obvious idiots. Well… _I _would. He was a lot better at playing it cool.

I felt a little envious about how effortless it was for him… and then I was thinking about him again. _Cue stupid smile_.

There wasn't really anyone around, so I left the smile in place and continued sketching. I had been lost in my artwork for a while when I heard footsteps behind me. At first I thought it might be Edward, but then I remembered where I was. He promised to keep this whole thing a secret until I told him otherwise and I knew he wouldn't risk doing anything out here where just about anyone could see. I turned around expecting someone else I knew to be standing there. Angela maybe?

Wrong.

Standing behind me was a pixie haired girl I didn't recognize.

It had been over a week since I had returned to school. I thought I had dealt with all of the people I couldn't remember. _Guess not_.

I hadn't seen her at all last week and I was sure to remember her if I had. She had one of those faces and if the clothing she was wearing now said anything about her usual attire, then she also had a fashion sense that commanded your attention.

She looked like she was about to speak, but I interrupted her before she could. It was best to avoid as much awkwardness as possible and just cut right to the chase. In a bored tone I said, "Alright, obviously you must have heard already so if you could just tell me your name and how we met then that would be great."

Her brown eyes were already large naturally, but they seemed to widen further as each word left my mouth. She was blinking a lot. _Too straight forward?_ Maybe I was, but I knew I'd be saving us both a lot of time. The sooner I knew who she was; the sooner we could go back to being whatever it was that we were—friends I assumed. If we were friends before then surely we wouldn't have any trouble reconnecting. How far Edward and I had come in such a short amount of time could attest to that.

I was staring at her expectantly and she was simply… staring. She took a slow and cautious seat on the other side of the table. _Maybe she's shy._

"I'm Alice." The name came out a little warily, but she managed to smile—in amusement? "And, uh we met…" Her gaze darted away briefly. "Just now."

I laughed because she had to be joking.

"You're kidding."

She shook her head. "Nope… this is my first day here."

I had been returning her smile with a patient one of my own, right up until she told me this was the first day she had ever stepped foot here. Now, it was _my_ eyes that widened. _Oh my god! _She must have thought I was an absolute lunatic. I was surprised she didn't run away from me—I would have. To an outsider I could see how I was clearly giving off _freak_ vibes.

I sat up straighter and gave her a desperate look.

"I swear I'm not normally this weird. I really thought you knew." She still wasn't running away... that was a good sign, right?

"Knew?"

I nodded and went on to recount a condensed version of what had happened, leaving out all of the useless details. She listened intently and finally nodded in understanding when I finished.

"Wow…" she said. "That sucks."

She didn't give me the sympathetic look I had grown accustomed to, the one I couldn't stand. She acknowledged the situation, but didn't fuss over it. I decided then—I liked this pixie haired girl.

"Yeah," I chuckled. "It's really inconvenient at times… like now for instance. I made a crap first impression." I extended my hand out to her because I'd always been brought up around my dad's old fashioned manners. "I'm Bella by the way. It's nice to meet you, Alice."

She shook my hand with a smile and bright eyes.

"So, _Bella_, what's there to do in a town like this?"

We spent the rest of lunch talking about how boring Forks was and getting to know each other. It felt normal, the most ordinary I'd felt in a while. I didn't feel like the girl with memory issues… I felt like an awkward and completely uninteresting person, the same person I had always been. It was a nice change, one I welcomed wholeheartedly.

During our conversation, I learned a few things about Alice—or rather _Mary_ Alice Brandon. For one, she never responded to her given first name. She wasn't destined to be a Mary, her words. When she told me her parents had relocated here from New York City, I was floored. My hometown was endearing with its quaint and tight-knit community. It would always be close to my heart, but most of us wanted to get out of here as quickly as possible. Why would anyone leave a big city to come to a place like this?

"Why Forks? It's so…"

"Random?" she finished. I simply nodded and she laughed. "That's because it is! My dad's been a CEO for years and then one day he decides to hang up a U.S. map, cover his eyes and throw a dart at it—" She leaned across the table as if she had a secret to tell and whispered, "—Midlife crisis if you ask me."

She snickered as she plopped back into her seat. "And here we are!"

I chuckled and began to study her outfit. It suddenly began to make sense. She was wearing a long-sleeved scoop neck dress paired with lace tights. The combat boots gave it a touch of grunge, but on Alice, it looked nothing short of high fashion. This was definitely a city girl. I hoped she wouldn't end up losing her mind in a town as minuscule as ours.

"Are you checking me out, Swan?" I made a face. "Not that there's anything wrong with that, but I'm straight as can be and I don't want to get your hopes up."

Her sass instantly reminded me of my best friend. I shook my head. "I can't wait until you meet Rosalie. You guys are going to really hit it off." _Either that or you'll both end up killing each other._ I kept the comment to myself.

Rose had a strong personality and so did Alice. This could turn out amazingly well or… well, I didn't want to consider the other possibility. I'd do everything I could to make sure Rose and Alice had a smooth introduction. _Maybe calling Rose later and giving her a heads up will be good. Yeah. That's what I'll do._

Alice smiled. "I look forward to meeting her." Her gaze swept over the page I had been sketching on and she pulled it over to her side of the table. "Hey, this is really good!"

"Thanks," I shrugged. I knew I was a decent artist, but I didn't find the need to make a big deal about it. It was just a hobby. When she swiped her finger and finished smudging a section I hadn't gotten to, I had to ask. "Do you sketch?"

As expected, she nodded.

"Yeah, but mostly clothing designs—nothing like this." She tapped her finger on the book. "These eyes look so realistic. Are they from someone you know?"

I peered down at the page and even upside down I'd recognize those striking eyes anywhere. They were drawn in black and white, the pencil lead failing to do them justice, but I still knew who they belonged to. They were _his_. I couldn't believe I had been sketching his eyes without even realizing it. _You've got it bad…_

Yes… I really did.

At least it was Alice who caught me drawing them. Had it been Rose, I would have been in a lot of trouble.

"Bella?"

"Huh?" I remembered what she had asked me. I did know them. I knew them very well. "Umm… they're..." Before I could finish my answer, the bell rang.

I took back my sketchbook and slid it into my bag. Alice's curiosity seemed to disappear as we both stood up. She pulled out a slip of paper from her much more fashionable messenger bag and looked it over.

"You don't by any chance have art as an elective, do you?" she asked. I told her that I did and asked to see her schedule. As I scanned it, I smiled. We had three out of six classes together, including art as our last period of the day.

When I handed her schedule back, her size caught my attention again. She was like one of those tiny dog breeds with a small bite and a ginormous bark—her confidence made you forget about the fact that she was barely five feet tall.

I walked with her to her history class and showed her where the art classroom was along the way. When I left her and started the walk to my own class, I had another stupid smile on my face. This one wasn't a lovesick smile. It was one of pure content.

Normal.

I could do that.

.

.

.

EPOV

I already had my keys in the ignition, ready to leave, when I realized I'd left my phone inside the locker-room. _Shit. _My head fell back against the head rest and I sighed. _What do you expect when your head's all over the place?_

As the rest of the team emptied out of the parking lot, I headed back inside to retrieve my phone. When I reached the locker-room my phone was exactly where I'd left it after practice. I grabbed it from the bench and made to leave. A voice stopped me.

"So… you and Swan, huh?"


	13. Chapter 13

**Hello lovelies! I feel better as you can see lol. Enjoy the chapter I think I've added someone you'll want to beat up more than Edward.**

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**Chapter 13**

EPOV

"So… you and Swan, huh?"

The implication of his words didn't immediately register with me. I was still exhausted from practice and my mind had been in overdrive for the past few days. The situation with Bella was eating at me and I didn't know what to do about it.

I turned around and found James Hunter exiting one of the rows of lockers. There was a strong odor coming from him, one I could smell even from my distance yards away. It didn't take a genius to figure out what it was, but I ignored the evidence of his _extracurricular activities _and asked him to repeat himself.

"What was that?"

James was leaning against the locker's side panel with his arms crossed, a smug smile on his face. "You," he enunciated. "And Bella Swan."

_Relax, he's a pothead. You can't take anything he says too seriously. _It was true. James was exactly the image most people envisioned when they thought about the stereotypical stoner. He was lanky with stringy shoulder length hair, a grimy looking blonde mess.

Did what he said worry me?

Not nearly as much as he hoped.

He was standing there, waiting for some type of reaction. I didn't give him one… not the one he wanted. I took a few steps forward and gave him a flippant smile instead. "Hate each other. Everyone knows that, James. Lay off the grass buddy." If his jacket didn't reek of smoke and weed, I would have patted his shoulder condescendingly, but there was no way in hell I would risk getting any of that stench on me.

I turned and tried to leave again.

"That's not what I saw."

With my back to him, I was allowed a moment to close my eyes and sigh. I had enough things to deal with; a stoner who knew more than he should was _not_ what I needed. _How did he even—_

I suddenly remembered my reason for being in the locker-room in the first place—my phone. The same one I never bothered to create a passcode for. I didn't think I needed one, because up until now I'd never had anything to hide. I turned over my phone and stared at the screen. Bella and I had traded a few texts since Saturday night… and the phone had been left unattended for at least ten minutes. _Damn it._

Again, I wasn't going to take his bait. James was a burnout who barely showed up to a single class and to top it off, he was a fucking dick. No one would believe a single word he said, _especially_ not when they sounded as ridiculous as this.

I pocketed my phone and turned back around, scoffing out a laugh. "What, so you read a few of my text messages—creep move by the way—and you conjure up some bullshit idea in that fried brain of yours?"

His eyes narrowed, but not in anger. He looked self-assured.

"Who said anything about text messages?" He pointed a thumb in the direction he came from. "I was in the equipment room serving out detention before you showed up. I didn't touch your phone… although," he said thoughtfully, pursing his lips and glancing away briefly. His dumb smirk was even bigger when his gaze cut to mine sharply. "Maybe I should have."

I fucked up.

He pushed himself away from the lockers and strode over to where I was standing. I was at least four inches taller than him, definitely stronger and I didn't appreciate him invading my space. The mental image of a knocked out James was tempting to bring to reality, but I'd never been one for violence and he wasn't worth it.

"I saw you guys, you know," he informed me. Even before he told me _where_ he'd seen Bella and I, I somehow already knew… and I was right. "After the game. That was some kiss for two people who hate each other... and that borderline foreplay under the bleachers too? Dude…"

With a fixed stare, I lowered my voice. "You know what I think?" I didn't give him the option to answer. "I think you should get yourself a new dealer. I don't know what you're on… but it's obviously causing some hallucinations."

"Cheap shots like that won't change what I saw."

"I don't give a damn what you saw," I spat.

"Is that so?" He pulled out his own phone and held it up, shaking it from side to side mockingly. He was grinning now. "What about what I heard, you give a damn about that?"

I ground my teeth. "You're full of shit."

He was. James just wanted me to admit he was right and he thought bluffing would trick me into it. I'd made a mistake by mentioning the text messages. I wasn't about to tell him anything else.

"Am I?" He began searching through his phone. I stood there, still not believing he had anything. _Full of shit_, I repeated to myself. It wasn't possible. There was no way in hell he—

_ "I'm just having some fun with her. No harm in that."_

The sound of my own voice filling the room left me standing stalk still. Even though the voices in the recording sounded a little distant, it was easy to tell who was speaking. Both mine and Emmett's identities were clear to whoever listened. There wasn't a way out of this one. The more I listened, the more I sounded foreign to my own ears. The guy in that recording sounded like a fucking asshole—which I was. Listening to Emmett's warning made me wish I could somehow pull that idiot from a week ago out of that phone. I wished I could knock some sense into him. I wished Emmett had kicked his ass that afternoon… but more than anything… I wished I could go back in time and stop myself from making a huge mistake.

_ "Bella's not herself."_

_"Yeah… so?" _

_"So… I won't be myself either. From what I saw, it only takes a few whispered words and she's eating out of the palm of my hand." _I could practically hear the smirk in my voice and it left a sickening feeling in my stomach.

"I've heard enough," I growled.

He let out a barking laugh, stifling it quickly. He held up his index finger. "Wait! Wait! This is the best part!"

James covered his mouth and I was forced to listen to the damning sentence I knew was coming. I had to look away as I listened to myself.

_"She's going to fall in love with me by the time we're through—I'll make damn sure of it. And when she finally remembers…" _My satisfied hum made it difficult to swallow. _"That'll be a sight to see."_

"You know what? You're right," James sniffed, cutting short the rest of the recorded conversation and putting his phone away. "I think you've heard enough."

I gave him a murderous glare, though I probably should have located the nearest mirror and given myself the dark stare instead. _He_ was a grimy little shit for recording that, but _I _was just as bad, if not worse for what I had done.

"Remember how I said I was in here for detention," he said innocently, as if that were something filth like him could ever be. "Well, I was in here last Monday too… doing what I had to do, minding my own business. Imagine my surprise when I overheard Forks' golden boy talking about taking advantage of poor innocent Isabella." He placed a hand over his heart sardonically. My fists clenched.

He didn't give a damn about Bella. He was a malicious person who got off on causing trouble, and that was his only motivation.

"It's kinda _predatory_, don't you think? Sick even. I mean Bella's—"

"Shut the hell up."

I was seeing red. I couldn't tell whether it was caused by the way he said Bella's name or the truth behind his words I didn't want to believe. Maybe it was both.

He shook his head.

"The facts don't lie, Edward. You convinced a girl who didn't know any better that you were screwing her." With sleazy grin, he added, "I'm actually kind of impressed… kinda wish I had thought of it first actually. Bella's definitely filled out. Bet she'd be a decent fu—"

Before James could get the second part of the word out, I slammed his back into the same metal side paneling he had been leaning against. My hands were gripping the front of his shirt tightly, any tighter and I would have ripped a few threads. "_Careful_, Hunter."

"What are you gonna do, Cullen? Hit me?" He laughed. James was out of his fucking mind. "Go ahead. I might just be tempted to send that recording to someone if you do."

My grip didn't loosen.

"Bella maybe?" He made a sound of disapproval. "Rosalie? No no… how about Chief Swan? I'm sure he'd love this. Did you think about that when you first started?"

I hadn't given much thought to anything. I was stupid.

"You tricked his baby girl… and after a head injury. That's low man."

"You don't know the first thing about it."

He glanced down at the fistfuls of his shirt I was gripping and chuckled. "I know your plan completely backfired. You care about her. That's sweet… but I don't think Chief Swan would give that little detail much thought. He's got a lot of pull down at the station and you're a legal adult. I'm sure he could come up with a charge or two if he really wanted to."

"What about blackmail... could he come up with a charge or two for that?"

His nose scrunched up.

"I have a feeling he'd let this one slide—considering." He snorted out another laugh. My fingers were itching to cause physical harm. "Besides… who's blackmailing? I just threatened you with the recording so you wouldn't do something stupid. Assault wouldn't look good on your record either."

I curled my lips into a sneer. "You confront me alone, make a big show out of revealing that recording and you really expect me to believe you don't want anything?"

"Yup." He popped the 'p' and smiled. "I'm just telling you what I have. I'll let you sit with that knowledge. That's enough entertainment for me… won't be long before the truth comes out on its own anyways."

My grip on his shirt tightened, causing a single thread to snap. I didn't pay the sudden popping sound much mind as I added additional pressure onto his chest. He let out a constricted cough. It was like I wasn't in control of my actions. I'd never before reached a point of anger severe enough to physically hurt someone, but I wanted to hurt him.

Badly.

I was angry at him for looking at this whole thing as though it was a joke, for talking about Bella in the way he had and I was especially angry at myself for thinking in a similarly cruel manner. The hatred I felt for myself had to be taken out on something and James was currently paying the price.

"Remember what I said," he rasped out.

"Edward!" A booming voice shouted. "That's enough! Let him go!"

I released my grip and he slouched, taking in a few breaths and straightening his shirt. Coach Thompson was standing there with his arms crossed, not looking the least bit pleased. He walked over to us, pulling me away from James. My inflamed haze seemed to disappear with every inch of distance placed between us.

"Your detention's over James." Coach stated in a gruff tone. "Go home."

"See ya Coach T." He saluted him before turning to me and grinning broadly. "We'll talk soon."

He pushed himself through the double doors and walked out.

I turned to face Thompson. His expression didn't appear to be heated any longer. He looked disappointed. Coach Thompson was usually a hardass, but sometimes he had his fatherly moments. The only thing worse than being exposed to his wrath, was being the source of his disappointment.

"Son," he sighed, pointing in the direction James had gone in. "Kids like _that_ are going nowhere fast. Don't let him drag you down with him."

"I won't."

"Good. You're my best player, but the zero tolerance rule is still intact. I won't hesitate to bench you if you can't control that temper of yours—on or off the field," he gave me a pointed stare. "I'll overlook this and call it an error in judgment… but next time, you're front and center on the sideline, got it?"

I nodded. "It won't happen again, coach."

He motioned toward the doors with his head. "Get out of here before I change my mind."

I didn't waste any time as I headed back out to my car. This entire thing had gotten out of control, not just how I reacted in there with James, but everything in general. James said he wasn't planning on sending the recording to anyone, but I knew I couldn't trust him. I had to figure out what I was going to do, and fast.

First, I needed to tell someone everything and the only person I could confide in was Emmett. I sent him a text and told him to meet me at the diner later that night.

Before I was worried about how Bella would handle the truth, but now… I had _so _much more to think about.

.

.

.

"You really think he'd arrest you for this?"

I stared at the plate of half eaten fries in front of me, my appetite long gone.

"I don't know, man." I shoved the plate aside and dropped my head in my hands. "Fuck!"

Emmett being Emmett grabbed the plate and began eating. "Don't take your anger out on the food," he said with a mouthful of fries. "That's a waste!"

I lifted my head to give him a 'what the fuck' expression. "Really, Em?"

He had the decency to set the plate down slowly and appear apologetic.

"Okay, I'm sorry. Look, James claims he's just going to sit back and let things play out on their own, right?"

I shrugged. "Yeah, so?"

"So!?" His eyes were wide, as if the answer should have been obvious. _Nothing's obvious for me anymore, Emmett. Haven't you heard? I'm a fucking idiot. _"Just tell her! Tell her before someone else does. Sure... she'll hate you, but you'll be putting an end to something you never even should have started in the first place. Simple."

I wanted to tell him no... it was not that _simple. _Last night I had decided to find out what happened to Bella the summer everything went wrong. I'd replayed nearly ever memory over and over and I still couldn't figure out what caused her sudden change. Back then I was too young and stupid. I should have refused to leave until she opened up to me. I should have fought harder to mend whatever broke us.

These fragments of memories she had were the only shot I had at finding out why the Bella Swan I'd first met disappeared without a trace. So, Emmett didn't understand. I couldn't tell her... yet. She'd shut down and in turn shut me out, then I'd never know.

I stared down at the table. "I can't."

"You _can_."

When he realized I had nothing else to add, he slide himself out from his side of the booth and pulled out his wallet. He threw a few bills onto the table with a sigh.

"I've given you my advice, Edward. Either take it or don't. Last time you didn't take it and look how that turned out." He motioned to my body that was slumped over the table. "I've had to say 'I told you so' once already... don't make me have to do it again. Do yourself a favor and end it now—you'll have more than just a girl to lose if you don't."

I gave him a silent nod to show my understanding. He left without another word and I was left there alone, nothing but the company of my thoughts.

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**Fun fact: I had a hot twenty-something teacher/football coach at my high school called Thompson. All the girls fawned over him and his pretty blues, but he was a really cool guy. Four years of distracting eye candy lol thanks for the character name Coach T... and genetics for your stupidly gorgeous face.**

**Thanks for reading, reviewing and sharing this story with others. I really appreciate it guys.**

**Twitter: Crimson_Harps**

**Until next time :)**


	14. Chapter 14

**I seem to be in the zone tonight. I'm posting this and going right on to write chapters 15 and 16 while the fire's still burning hot lol. **

**Oh, and don't think I haven't realized how close to 1K reviews we are. It's all thanks to how great you've all been with sharing this story, so really, it was you. ALL YOU. I just wrote a few measly words and let my imagination run rampant.**

**Thanks guys :)**

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**Chapter 14**

BPOV

"Be nice," I told Rose on Tuesday morning. I felt like a mother begging her child to behave at some fancy dinner party, which was laughable considering even as a child, Rosalie was her own person. She did what she wanted and just as most of the people who tried to tell her what to do before me, my words held little weight.

"I'm always nice to new people!"

When she caught sight of my skeptical expression, she smirked. "Okay… I _can_ be nice when I choose to be."

"But you never choose to be," I muttered under my breath, which earned me a jab in the ribs courtesy of Rose's elbow.

Rose was the type of person who believed you could sense compatibility with another person within the first twenty seconds of meeting them. You either clicked with a person or you didn't and if Rosalie Hale didn't _click_ with someone… then she'd definitely let them know.

I still remembered the first time she met her older sister's fiancé, Royce. Evie had just finished her second year of college and came back to Forks for the holidays. Without telling anyone, she brought company… and a gorgeous diamond ring. Mr. and Mrs. Hale hadn't been all that enthused when they first found out, but they had still welcomed Royce into their home, deciding he was a good man who would support their eldest daughter. He had been so charming at that Christmas party, said all of the right things. It didn't hurt that he was about to enter grad school for business either, a highly coveted internship waiting for him in Chicago.

Mr. Hale liked that.

Evie might have been foolishly jumping into an engagement while still attending school, but at least she had chosen someone who would be more than capable of providing for her. I actually thought he was a great catch too. I had just entered into my Jane Austen phase and I thought Royce was some kind of Darcy come to life.

Rose didn't though.

She was only thirteen and already had a knack for seeing through even the best acts. The man had barely introduced himself and Rose already decided she didn't like him. No one else picked up on the type of person Royce really was, but Rose did. Her gut told her there was something wrong and she was proven right months later. During another visit home, Evie went for a swim, not realizing her make up wasn't as waterproof as the product claimed. As her concealer melted off, the rest of us were left speechless because there on the side of her face, was a telling and angry bruise marring her skin.

The entire ordeal had nearly ripped the family in two and I hated thinking about it, but it always reminded me of how my best friend's sometimes frosty nature came from the warmest of places. She was simply looking out for me and most of the time I trusted Rose's judgment entirely… well, until that judgment was aimed in Edward's direction of course.

If she knew how wonderfully he treated me, how helpful and patient he'd been… then maybe she'd see him in a different light. _Tell her..._

I would.

_You should tell her _now_._

Soon... I'd tell her soon. Rose was important to me and she deserved to know the truth, but I could worry myself with that later. Right now, I was focused on doing everything I could to avoid a catastrophic first meeting.

I spotted Alice as soon as we entered the school's main lobby. She was standing over by a glass display case, busying herself by looking at the awards and trophies accumulated over the years. Her outfit was slightly toned down in comparison to the one she had worn the day before—dark washed jeans and a simple white blouse—but I assumed that could be attributed to the rain pouring down outside.

_Welcome to Washington, Alice._

"There she is," I pointed out.

Rose put her arm out in front of me, bringing the both of us to a sudden stop. I watched as she took in Alice with critical eyes. She raised a brow. "I like the jacket," she commented, referring to the military styled leather Alice had on. "Now let's see if this girl's everything you said she was."

I eyed my best friend warily, to which she rolled her eyes and sighed.

"If she's as cool as you say, we'll be fine," she said before chuckling. "Now can I meet this tiny spitfire already, or what?"

Rose began advancing before I could get a single word out. She came to a stop directly behind Alice, crossing her arms and clearing her throat. I rushed after her and made it to them just as Alice turned around.

She appeared almost miniature while standing next to Rose's five-seven frame. I willed Alice silently. _Don't show fear! She can smell your fear!_

"So you're Alice," Rose stated. She was being slightly icy, her face a blank canvas vacant of any emotion.

Alice's gaze caught mine for a moment, but she didn't look intimidated at all. She smiled and returned her attention to Rose. In a mirroring tone, she said, "And you're Rosalie."

I stood back meekly, watching the interaction and awaiting Rose's reaction. _Please,_ d_on't kill her. I like her._

Alice held Rosalie's long stare, never wavering as the blonde continued her _test_. A second or two passed before Rose cut short the eye contact and turned her head in my direction. She didn't really smile, but the corner of her lips tugged upward.

After what felt like an eternity worth of bated breath I heard the five little words that set me free.

"You can call me Rose."

That was more than I could have asked for, a sure sign she approved. She rarely told people they could address her by her nickname, most people did anyways but she almost never personally invited someone to do so. This was great! Alice had won her over and she'd only spoken three words. I was both impressed and incredibly pleased.

I suddenly began to feel a little smug. I bumped Rose's hip with my own.

"Told you you'd like her," I said.

"I had a feeling I would. I just had to make sure. Last night you told me she thought you were a lesbian," she laughed, turning to Alice. "Did you really?"

Alice shrugged, enlarging her eyes to a doll-like degree. "She was checking me out and I'm from New York—I've seen it all! What was I supposed to think?"

_Not this again._

"For the last time," I groaned. "I was admiring your outfit!"

"Admiring my outfit…" Alice began in a questioning tone.

"—or her legs?" Rose finished. They both snickered in unison.

_Oh god… what have I done?_ I felt like I'd just accidentally created some type of mutant friendship. They would both drive me insane together, but in a strange way; I kind of didn't mind losing my mind if it meant I'd have them both in my life. They could tease me mercilessly. I was happy.

"Okay," I said loudly, interrupting their fits of giggles. "Well, now that I've ensured this introduction went smoothly, without the loss of any limbs… I need to switch out some books from my locker—_don't _follow me."

They both regarded me with strange looks, so I added, "I need a few minutes away from… _this_," I made a circular motion with my hand, signifying that I was referring to their freaky mind reading and teasing.

"Fine, go get your books. Hey, has she given you a crash course on who to steer clear of yet?" she asked Alice, who shook her head in reply.

Rose rolled her eyes.

"Figures… B's too nice of a person," she placed a hand over her chest and grinned. "_I _on the other hand, am a self-proclaimed bitch who sees nothing wrong with being blunt." Her face became serious. "Okay. Golden rule: Avoid the Denali Twins at all costs. You'd think at least one of them would be sweet, right? Wrong. They're both bitches."

Alice laughed off her warning. "Thanks, but I've dealt with girls like that before. They don't scare me."

"Oh no, Hun," Rose snorted. "It's not that they're scary! They just make you want to rip out their hair extensions whenever they open their mouths to speak and then that leads to all of this paperwork… so much trouble for you."

Alice looked like she was listening to a foreign language.

"Rose got suspended last year for ripping out some of Tanya's hair," I explained and Rose pinched my arm.

"Ouch!"

"Shouldn't you be getting something from your locker?" she grumbled.

"You ripped out the girl's hair? Her _actual_ hair?!"

Rose scowled at me while I rubbed my arm. "You can't remember a bunch of shit and yet you remember _that_?" I couldn't control the human mind. When I shrugged, she spoke to Alice again. "I never ripped out her hair. She was standing too close to my locker door and… and it was a complete accident. Besides… they were cheap extensions anyway!"

I stifled my laughter. "And that's your story? The one you're sticking to?"

"Don't be cute, Swan." She glared.

"So why'd you get suspended?" Alice asked. "It might be complete bullshit, but it sounds believable enough."

Rose sighed. "Her _Daddy's_ the principal and he's a major dick—that entire gene pool's fucked if you ask me. They need to stop breeding."

"You only say that because your mother nearly had a coronary when she found out her daughter was a '_juvenile delinquent'_."

Alice released an unintelligible sound. When Rose and I looked at her, she was covering her mouth and trying not to laugh.

"See," I said. "It _is _a funny story! You're the only one who hates hearing it."

"Whatever… go get your stupid books," she mumbled, but I could see the smirk she was trying to hide. She was proud of what she'd done. Rose's expression turned into one of disgust when her attention shifted to something nearby. "See that guy over there?"

She was speaking to Alice and pointing to a few guys walking out of the front office.

"Which one?"

"The one in the blue shirt," she clarified. "That's Newt.

"His parent's named him after a lizard thing?"

"No, but they should have."

I shook my head with a chuckle, watching as she led Alice away and carried on with her _teachings_. They would be more than fine by themselves. I was worried for nothing. Checking the time, I realized I only had about seven minutes before class started and headed up to the second floor.

While I was at my locker, I received a text message from a contact I had simply dubbed 'G.E.' An abbreviation for Green Eyes, the name I had given Edward when I didn't know what else to call him. I changed it last night, paranoia my main motive.

I read his message.

**We need to talk.**

Those four little words were usually a death sentence in relationships—of all forms, even dysfunctional ones like mine—not exactly what a girl wanted to hear. Edward's random need to '_talk'_ left me with a bit of unease. _Calm down. There's plenty of things he could want to talk about._

That was true. Maybe it wasn't anything concerning us per se. Maybe he was just finally ready to tell me why his behavior had been off. His father couldn't be the only reason.

_When? Where?_

His reply was almost instantaneous.

**Lunch. My Car.**

I had to admit, it was kind of clever. We'd probably be the only ones out there. On rainy days like these, most people stayed inside. No one would want to drive off campus during a heavy storm; they'd stay inside where it was warm and dry.

As I glanced out one of the double paned windows, I watched the rain continue to fall, the water beating down on the concrete outside much forcefully than when I'd first arrived.

I sent him another text, agreeing without much hesitation.

.

.

.

A few hours later I was doing what I seemed to be a master at as of late—lying straight through my teeth.

"Why aren't you eating lunch with us again?" Rose asked.

We were standing outside the cafeteria's entrance, sans Alice. She was already inside saving us a spot.

"I told you. My guidance counselor wants to see me about something," I jerked my head towards the cafeteria. "Go ahead and join Alice. This probably won't even take long. I'll meet you guys in there when I'm done."

She nodded and I was thankful she had kept her promise. I wasn't sure whether it was Alice's presence that led to her distraction or whether she was consciously making an effort to take a step back and trust me, but I was still thankful for the space.

"Do you want me to buy you something?" she offered.

"No, I'm fine." I checked the wall clock behind her and gasped as if I was late. With a quick goodbye I spun around and hurried away, calling over my shoulder. "I'll see you guys later!"

Her reply was lost as I walked into a busy sea of people.

When I reached the main lobby, it was silent, a sharp contrast to the buzzing halls I had just maneuvered myself through. I checked around, noticing a girl lying down on one of the wooden benches. She had a thick book in hand, completely engrossed. As I continued to glance around I didn't spot anyone who seemed to be watching me intently so I put my hood up and slipped outside.

Edward's car was relatively easy to find. I ran towards it as soon as recognition flicked on in my mind and climbed in. When I shut the door behind me, I found a rigid Edward sitting in the driver's seat.

"Hi."

"Hey," he said, but that was it. There wasn't a smile. He didn't even spare a single glance at the water dripping onto the expensive leather beneath me—I knew men could be OCD about that. His voice sounded rough too, like someone who'd just woken up or someone who hadn't slept.

With nothing else to do, I watched the water sliding down the windshield as the silence turned into near awkwardness. My uneasiness grew as the seconds ticked by, but I still refused to conjure up explanations in my head while he was sitting right next to me. There was little point in doing that when I could simply ask him myself… so I finally did.

"What did you want to talk about?"

He turned to me and I was drawn to the way certain parts of his face glistened. It was obviously caused by his own exposure to the pelting rain outside, but something about the light sheen was enough to capture my attention and before I knew it… I was remembering.

The details were a little fuzzy, but I remembered Edward. He looked thinner; his shoulders were lacking that broadness I was accustomed to seeing and his face was less defined. This had to be a younger Edward… _but he said we hated each other_. This didn't make any sense and yet I continued to see him.

_Soaking wet and climbing in through… a window?_

I raised my hand to present day Edward as I tried to sort through all of these jumbled pieces of memory. "Wait."

_Damp hair, falling just short of his eyes._

_A bookshelf lining the wall right beside him._

That same shelf had been in my room for years. I wouldn't forget it. Everything was exactly where it should have been—aside from him. I didn't understand. What was he doing in my room and why was he drenched from head to toe?

Slowly but surely, the scene within my mind gained some clarity.

"Bella," Edward's voice sounded more alert, his concern forcing him to snap out of his previous state. I looked at him. He had a worried line above his brow. "Are you remembering something?"

I could only nod.

"What is it?"

I thought about what I had remembered. This memory wasn't as vivid as the last one I'd had. It was similar to the first one, except more continuous. There wasn't any dialogue I could recall. It appeared I was back to receiving silent picture shows, although I couldn't complain. I'd take anything I could get.

We were in my room—that had been established. It didn't take a genius to figure out he wasn't supposed to be there… and judging from how often I fidgeted, I wasn't comfortable with him being there either. _But you let him inside…_

I could recall most of our movements, our body language… but I couldn't for the life of me figure out what we were talking about. Nothing but sequences of action I couldn't quite understand.

He'd come in soaking wet, we'd nearly get caught by my dad and then we'd argue. It had to be an argument because it ended in the same way every time I replayed it. He stormed out and I blanked on everything that proceeded, like a film strip coming to the end of its roll.

It suddenly occurred to me that Edward had never told me _why_ we'd hated each other. He simply told me that we had and never elaborated.

"Edward, can I ask you something?" I took his small shrug as a yes, so I went ahead and questioned him. "Why did we hate each other before? I mean you can't just start hating someone without having a reason, right? I don't think you've ever told me."

He didn't immediately reply, a few blinks the only indication that he had heard me. _It's not a very difficult question._ I sat there listening to the steady beat of rain colliding with glass and metal until he finally sighed and leaned back in his seat. He ran a hand down his face.

"Bella…" His teeth slid back and forth across his bottom lip. He let out another breath and I couldn't figure out why he was having difficulty expressing whatever he had to say. _Just spit it out!_ "I uh… haven't been completely honest with you."

I was beginning to wish he'd used the whole _'we need to talk' _thing as an excuse to mess around or something—_that _would have been typical hormone induced behavior. He was a teenage boy. I could have understood that, dealt with that… but _this_? What was I supposed to make of this?

He was quiet again, not really helping matters. If the guy couldn't even get the words out then it must have been serious.

"What does that mean?"

"It means I have something to tell you."

"Okay."

He couldn't seem to maintain eye contact, something he never had a problem with before. "I wasn't joking when I said we needed to talk."

"Edward," I said seriously. My patience was straining. "We've already established that there's something you need to say—you're dodging around whatever it is. Just tell me."

"I lied to you," he blurted in an exhaling breath, waiting a single beat before adding. "About us."

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**Cliffhanger whore at your service... *hides* **

**What do you think comes next? Better question, how many of you want to break into my house right now and steal my story outline? It's got aaaaall the answers. Haha let me know.**

**Twitter: Crimson_Harps**


	15. Chapter 15

**Sorry for keeping you guys waiting. Thank you for all of those enthusiastic and somewhat threatening reviews lol loved them!**

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**Chapter 15**

EPOV

This was harder than I thought it would be, but I knew that every second I continued lying was like waiting for a grenade to explode. Maybe she'd figure it out on her own or maybe James would realize watching from the sidelines wasn't nearly as entertaining as he thought, but either way… it would be messy and Emmett was right.

Again.

I had gone over what I wanted to say about a billion times the night before. I'd reworded the truth over and over, trying my best to find a way to explain without sounding like a cold hearted bastard—impossible. It was a cruel thing to do and it didn't matter how I phrased it.

After a few seconds passed without a reaction from Bella, I chanced a look and I hated what I saw. There was uncertainty in her eyes, but behind that was this riptide of hurt just waiting to wreak havoc on her. I did that. Me.

It threw me back at least a dozen steps. I might as well have slept through the night soundly instead of lying in bed with racing thoughts, because I suddenly forgot everything. I had run through scenario after scenario, picturing various responses of anger, sadness. But when she looked at me now, waiting for an explanation, the words refused to come out.

I couldn't do it.

It wasn't my need to find out the truth that stopped me, it was that damn look on her face. If I told her the truth right now, that look would have magnified tenfold. She'd be broken and I knew it. What would that do to a person who was already living with a fragmented mind? I hadn't even thought of that before. What kind of impact would this have on her recovery?

I was the worst kind of stupid.

For the first time, I realized just how badly I screwed up. I'd only gotten a glimpse of the damage sure to follow and I couldn't handle it. Guilt and preservation pulled at me from either side, but preservation ultimately won and I knew I wouldn't be telling her, not today.

I hesitated, choosing my next words wisely. "I want to tell you about how we started."

She seemed to relax slightly.

"You already told me."

"No," I corrected. "I told you there's been something between us for _months_—that's a lie. There's always been something there."

"Edward, I don't—"

"Just listen, okay?" I pleaded too forcefully before realizing I was probably scaring her. I calmed myself down and grabbed her hand. "You asked why we hated each other. For you to understand… I-I need you to listen."

The only answer she gave me was a short nod. Her hand rested limply in mine but I didn't let go. I ran my thumb over her knuckles as I listened to the rain pouring outside and then, I went back… back to that first summer.

_"Forks isn't that bad. You're being a bitch about this whole thing."_

_I shot Emmett a glare, causing him to spit out some of the water he had been drinking as he laughed. _Asshole_. He didn't understand. He had grown up in this lame ass town his entire life. His father hadn't left behind a perfectly comfortable life in the city and transplanted his wife and kid to a single mini-mart town._

_"Sulk all you want, buddy, but this is home now. Your old man already made that clear."_

_I continued to juggle the soccer ball from knee to knee as Emmett finished up his water. I guess I couldn't really complain. My family had been good friends with the McCarty's for years, so at least I already had someone to pass the time with. Things could be worse, but the lack of life in Forks was currently driving me insane. There were only so many places you could go around here before you'd seen it all._

_Nothing like Seattle._

_I went from living in the beating heart of a city... to this place—a fucking kitchen utensil!_

_My dad must have been swiping pills from Seattle General's medicine supply in his spare time. The man had a serious prescription drug addiction that no one knew about and his brain was messed up... that was what I kept telling myself. It was the only way I could wrap my head around the random move. He didn't even talk to us before he accepted the job offer, which pissed me off. My mother was too kind for her own good and followed my dad blindly without much fuss, but I wasn't so compliant. One night before the move, he had sat me down and we'd had a long chat. He explained that the move wasn't just for him__—_it was for all _of us. The town was sparsely populated and he'd be working less hours._

_A giant load of crap._

_We'd been settled in town for a little over a week and my dad was somehow working _double_ the hours he had been before. There always seemed to be an empty spot at the dinner table these days, sometimes he'd even sleep down at that hospital. Something I found strange, but never questioned. He was my father after all. I wasn't about to interrogate the man._

_"It's just a lot to get used to," I finally said. "That's all."_

_He let out a chuckle, which eventually turned into full blown laughter. I lost my focus and the ball dropped to the ground, rolling a few feet away. I forgot about the ball momentarily and turned to an amused Emmett. Did I miss the joke?_

_"What's wrong with you?"_

_"Sorry man," he apologized with a few more light chuckles. "It's just…"_

_"What?"_

_"It's summer."_

_"So?"_

_"Trust me, dude. You won't be sulking for long. Sooner or later the weather's gonna heat up and I'm sure you'll find something to make you forget all about Seattle."_

_What was he babbling about?_

_"What are you talking about, McCarty?"_

_"Girls, Cullen. Girls." He gave me a once over from his spot on the ground. "You're almost as tall as me and you've got one of those faces. You could probably pass for sixteen, maybe seventeen on a good day. You might be able to feel up a junior if you play your cards right."_

_This time I was the one who laughed._

_"Pretty sure a pair of nice tits won't make your hometown suck any less."_

_"Oh… I see," he said in understanding. "Don't worry. There are nice asses too." Without much warning, Emmett cupped his hands around his mouth and began shouting at a group of girls tossing a softball around in an adjacent field. "Attention ladies! Edward Cullen prefers—oomph! Hey watch it!"_

_He rubbed his abdomen and I shrugged. _

_"Oops."_

___I could hear the girls laughing._

_"Oops my ass…" he grumbled. "I was helping you out. I think you broke a rib!"_

_"Can you breathe?"_

_"Of course I can breathe. What does that have to do with anything?"_

_"If I broke a rib, you'd be having trouble breathing."_

_His lips formed a thin line. I couldn't decipher everything he was muttering under his breath, but I was pretty sure he mentioned something about doctor's kids being smart-asses._

_He threw the ball that I had _accidentally _sent hurling into his rib cage at my head, missing by at least four feet. I didn't even flinch. I just watched the ball sail right by._

_"That was really pathetic Em," an unfamiliar voice said suddenly._

_I spun around and found a blonde girl approaching us. She seemed to be around our age._

_"Shut up, Rosalie... I'm crippled here!"_

_She folded her arms and scoffed._ _"He hit you in the stomach, dumb-ass. Don't your arms still work?"_

_"Yeah…b-but…," he stammered. I had no idea who this girl was, but she obviously knew how to get my friend to a pitiful state, unable to form a complete sentence. I almost felt bad for the poor guy. Almost._

_Emmett suddenly stood up with a huff. He held a hand to his side and I wanted to roll my eyes. I hadn't put that much force behind my kick. Had I kicked it with all of my strength, then he'd still be on the ground and dry heaving. He was playing up his pain to keep his pride intact… or what was left of it anyhow._

_"Who asked you anyways, Blondie?" Yes. He literally chose one of the lamest comebacks in the book. This girl made him stupid._

_A few more immature jabs were tossed around and then they began to bicker about nothing consequential. All I could do was watch. There was no way in hell I was getting involved in that._

_Someone sighed loudly beside me. My gaze left the old married couple and turned in the direction of the sound. A short girl with chestnut colored hair stood next to me. Where she'd come from, I had no idea, but she stood there watching Rosalie and Emmett with amused eyes._

_"They always do this," she informed me._

_I glanced back towards the argument. __"If that's true, then they should get a room."_

_She giggled and fuck if it wasn't one of the cutest sounds I'd ever heard. I was aware of how much of a girl that made me, but luckily mind reading wasn't an actual talent. My masculinity was safe for now._

_"That's what I keep telling her!" There was eagerness in her brown eyes. She leaned in and lowered her voice so only I could hear her. I still had to bend down slightly. "She admits that he's cute, but says he's too much of an idiot for her."_

_I had to snort at that. "Emmett _is_ an idiot."_

_I must have spoken a little too loudly because the idiot in question turned away from his bickering match and scowled in our direction. He looked like a five year old brat with his hands on his hips._

_"Finally someone said it," Rosalie began chortling noisily at his expense, while the girl—I still didn't know her name—laughed quietly beside me._

_Emmett narrowed his eyes, but he didn't simmer in his annoyance for long. He walked over to our bags and I could see mischief all over his face. He pulled out one of the extra water bottles we had brought and began unscrewing the cap. Judging from the perspiration clinging to the outside of the bottle, it was still fairly cold._

He wouldn't...

_The girl and I stopped laughing, but Rosalie was too distracted to realize my friend was up to no good._

_"You picked a _really_ bad day to wear white, Rosie."_

_Her laughter died down, but she still wasn't paying attention to the item in Emmett's hand._

_"Don't call me Ros—" The rest of her sentence was lost as Emmett began approaching and she finally realized what his intentions were. She backed away slowly and sent him a warning with her eyes. "Don't you dare…"_

_He titled his head. "Why not?"_

_"Think about what you're about to do… I'm warning you Emmett!"_

_"I really don't think you're in any position to be giving warnings." He turned to us. "Don't you agree, Bella?"_

_Rosalie sent her a pleading stare. "B, help me!"_

_Bella's eyes grew and she shook her head rapidly. "I'm staying out of this one. You're on your own."_

_Emmett grabbed Rosalie's arm. She gasped and tried to squirm away, but the chilly water was poured all over her head before she could make her escape. She shrieked so loudly I had to rub one of my ears to dull the ringing. _Damn that girl's got some lungs._  
_

_She stood still with her arms in the air, as if movement of any kind would make things worse. The icy sensation must have already reached her bones because she began trembling. __Her hair stuck to the sides of her face as the excess water continued to drip off of the ends. _Her mouth opened and closed several times as reality set in; she was probably silently asking herself the same question the rest of us had in mind—Had he really just done that?

_Although still shocked, she eventually found her voice again._

_"Emmett. Dale. McCarty," The shivers in her voice did little to mask her unmistakable rage. Her eyes nearly blackened as they found their target. "I'm going to kill you!"_

_He was in another world, completely impartial to the threat. His gaze was locked onto the peach colored bra that was now visible to the entire world._

_I edged towards Bella and whistled low. "He's a dead man, isn't he?"_

_"Six feet under—for sure."_

_Rosalie's piercing scream seemed to jerk Emmett out of his hormone induced gaze. He took off running and she followed suit. They ran across the entire expanse of the soccer field. When he was nearing the edge of the field, I watched as he hopped over the fence smoothly. Obviously he failed to notice the giant tear in the chain-links—he really was an idiot sometimes. As he turned around, Rosalie was already launching at him. He caught her in his arms, but the impact was enough to send them both tumbling to the ground in a heap of tangled limbs._

_She pushed herself up into a kneeling position at his side and punched him in the gut. Emmett recoiled from the hit, but he was grinning. He pointed to her shirt and she glanced down. He must have said something to lessen her rage because even though her shirt was now completely muddied, she slapped his arm lightly and then they both began laughing._

_Well... that was an unexpected turn of events. I thought I was witnessing my best friend's final moments on this earth for sure._

_"You just moved here, didn't you?" Bella asked, tearing my gaze away from the spectacle our friends were creating._

_"How'd you guess?"_

_"Small town," she laughed._

_I nodded. "Right."_

_I was still getting used to that. Back in Seattle people usually kept to themselves, but here… everyone knew _everyone's_ business around here._

___"In case you missed it, I'm Bella." _She smiled and offered me her hand, which I accepted easily. _"This is the part where you tell me your name," she teased. Her warm hand still held mine firmly. From the looks of it, she wasn't loosening her grip until I supplied her with what she wanted._

_"Why do I feel like you probably already know it?"_

_"Because I do already know it, but just humor me and give me a proper introduction, will you?"_

_I shook my head with a chuckle but conceded to her request anyways. "It's Edward."_

_"Edward," she repeated with another kind smile. "It's nice to finally meet the new doctor's hot son."_

_My brows rose just as her eyes widened and she released my hand hastily. She must have decided that was the wrong thing to say—the blush making itself known on her face spoke volumes._

_"You think I'm hot?"_

_She closed her eyes tightly before covering her face with a groan. "That came out wrong…"_

_"Really?" I grinned because teasing girls was always a go-to source of entertainment. The intensity of her blush suddenly felt like a game—how flushed could she get? "How did you want it to come out?"_

_She finally revealed her face and began rambling. "I just meant that everyone's been talking about you guys since you moved here—even before you showed up! Emmett showed some of the girls your picture and they've been drooling ever since. _They _think you're hot. Their words, not mine." She bit her lip and finally paused long enough to catch her breath. I must have taken too long to speak because as soon as I opened my mouth she continued. "Not that you're…"_

_"Not that I'm what?" I knew what she was trying to say._

_"You know you're… you're…" She pointed to my face in helpless frustration. I didn't say anything to that; instead, I squinted as if I didn't comprehend. "Stop smirking! You're enjoying this, aren't you?" She accused._

_Her seemingly permanent blush? Yeah I was definitely enjoying that._

_"Maybe a little."_

_She sighed with a frown, but her eyes gave her away. Her eyes were smiling._

_"You're going to be trouble Edward Cullen."_

_._

_._

_._

_"How long do you think it'll take them to notice we ditched them?"_

_I shrugged and leaned against the back of my seat. "Maybe they won't notice. Maybe they finally got that room I was talking about."_

_"Edward," she admonished._

_In the fifteen minute walk it took us to reach the diner, I had learned a few things about Isabella Swan. Her tendency to blush whenever sex was even implied being one of them. That would be a problem considering how dirty my mind was on a regular basis. She would need to get used to it if we were going to be friends. Either that or I'd be forced to pollute her thoughts a little. That option seemed fun._

_"What? I'm not saying they should go fuck each other, but a make out session would do them some good—you could cut their sexual tension with a knife."_

_She leaned into her palm as she returned her gaze to the menu in front of her. I smirked because her eyes kept wandering onto the table as she pretended to read a menu she most likely already had memorized. She changed the subject without looking at me._

_"This place is better than any five star Seattle restaurant."_

_I ran my eyes around the room and lifted a brow in disbelief. The papered walls alone looked like they belonged somewhere in the 1970's and you could tell it wasn't a conscious decorating decision. They just hadn't bothered to update their style—or anything else for that matter—in well over thirty years._

_"Are you sure about that?"_

_The food being carried around to each waiting table didn't look as hideous as the place, but I highly doubted I'd be raving about it to my friends back home any time soon. _

_When Bella noticed my sour expression, she rolled her eyes._

_"Fine… it's not. The food here's decent at best, but people don't flock to Mae's for all of this stuff. They come for the pizza. I don't know what they put in that sauce and my family's been trying to get the recipe for decades, but it's… it's…"_

_I noticed her fingers gripping the edges of the table as she tried to search for the appropriate word._

_"Orgasmic?"_

_She snatched my menu away and I laughed as her face flushed for what felt like the millionth time. "You've lost decision making privileges, mister—hope you city boys aren't all vegan. We're getting a Meat Lovers' pizza with extra cheese!"_

_"That's fine with me."_

_Bella didn't bother waiting for one of the waitresses to swing by our booth. She marched right up to the counter and called out someone's name. A round-faced woman with graying hair appeared behind the kitchen's opening. She listened to Bella and pulled out a note pad from her apron, jotting down our order. The woman glanced over at me and smiled before shielding her mouth from my view with her note pad. She said something briefly to Bella, shooting a wink at her before turning her attention back to the kitchen._

_I watched as Bella ducked her head and walked back over to our table. She slid into her side of the booth wordlessly._

_"You blush a lot, you know?" I thought aloud._

_"I know," she sighed miserably. "It's a curse."_

_I wanted to correct her. To tell her that her so-called 'curse' was one of my favorite things about her, but then I thought about how cheesy I'd sound, so I kept that particular thought to myself._

_The next hour was spent testing the limits of Bella's curse and getting to know each other. It was honestly one of the best times I'd had in a while… and we didn't even do anything really. She was right about that sauce and she ate almost as much as I did. If this was how she ate on a daily basis then her tiny waist was seriously impressive. Before Bella, I had been welcomed by a few other girls, but they'd welcomed me with phone numbers and overly flirty smiles. None of them had gotten to know me or shown any interest in simply having a conversation without expecting anything. I didn't feel pressure with her and her company alone was enough to push all thoughts of Seattle far from my mind._

_Emmett might have been onto something. I wasn't mesmerized by a pair of breasts or long legs—although I had to admit, for a fourteen year old girl, Bella's curves were starting to take shape. She was a cool girl to hang out with, but I was still a teenage boy. Of course I noticed and let my eyes linger for a second or two longer than they should have… but it wasn't even about that… it was her._

_She made it easy to forget._

"We fell into an easy friendship after that," I said after I finished recounting the memory. It felt good to tell her something without a single lie laced into it—she deserved a little truth from me… even if I was too much of a coward to tell her the most important truth of all.

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**Lol I don't know how some of you writers upload consistently and always deliver amazing quality chapters. Much respect because I suck at it.**

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	16. Chapter 16

**This chapter was difficult. D-i-f-f-i-c-u-l-t. The writer's block was bad guys and the words refused to come to me for the longest time. I kept typing a bunch of crap. I stepped away to write some original stuff, came back to this and still... nada. Lol but thankfully I've been cured and I'm pretty happy with what I've got.**

**Again, thank you for the reviews. I wish I could reply to them all, but I do read every word and I appreciate them all. Anyways, enough of this stuff. On with the story :)**

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**Chapter 16**

BPOV

It sounded like such a great memory, one I truly wished I hadn't lost. In a perfect world, Edward's words would have been enough to bring everything flooding back to me—effortless and instantaneous. I would have remembered and the memories would have tucked themselves away into their original crevices for safe keeping. They would be there, good as new as if they had never disappeared.

But we didn't live in a perfect world… and that didn't happen. Several times, I closed my eyes and tried to will something to pop into my head, but I failed miserably each and every time. _Guess one flashback's all you're getting today, Swan._

Eventually I just huffed and fell back against my seat. When I glanced to my right and found an inquisitive set of green eyes, I realized how petulant and completely child-like I must have looked.

"I'm sorry," I quickly apologized. "I'm just frustrated with myself. I wish I could remember that day… and everything else."

"Don't feel frustrated. You'll remember… and until then, you have me to fill as many blank spaces as I can." There was something strange about the way he said that. Either I was imagining things or Edward sounded—regretful? Before I could ask, he gave me an encouraging smile. "I'm hoping you can do the same for me actually."

I didn't understand. Was he trying to be funny?

"You want _me_ to help _you_?" When he nodded, I had to laugh a little at the absurdity. "What could I possibly help you with? In case you haven't noticed, my memory bank's not exactly a reliable source of information at the moment."

"You might be more helpful than you think."

_I think you're sleep deprived—still handsome as ever—but sleep deprived._

"Not likely."

He pressed his lips together and sat up. With a resolved gaze, he reached out and touched my temple, brushing his thumb gently over the skin in relaxing strokes. "Don't say that. The memories are in there somewhere."

I mumbled a response, something unintelligible. My eyes were closed so I couldn't see his face, but I could hear his breathy chuckle.

"What was it?" he asked.

"What was what?"

"The memory you just had."

My focus was slightly impaired as I began to lose myself in the soothing motion and the lull of the rain. Somehow though, I managed to return my attention to the conversation with a renewed sense of frustration as I thought about my latest flashback. It had told me so much, while at the same time, it had told me nothing at all.

I opened my eyes and sighed.

"Some memory," I muttered bitterly under my breath. "It was nothing but a confusing mess. I mean for starters, why did you climb in through my window and why were you all—what? Why are you looking at me like that?" His comforting strokes had stilled and he was searching my face, almost hopeful.

"You remember that night." It wasn't a question but I answered him anyway.

"Yes." I shook my head. "I mean, no."

"No?"

"Yes."

"I'm uh… lost."

_Welcome to the club. _"I remember most of it… but I have no clue why you were there or what we were talking about. So basically, all I have is a memory without any meaning." I lowered my gaze and frowned. "I know you told me not to be frustrated with myself, but I can't help it! Like you said, the memories are in here—_somewhere_—and they're coming back. I just wish they'd..."

"Hurry the fuck up?"

My head fell with soft laughter. He had voiced my thoughts exactly, albeit less _eloquently_ than what I was originally going for, but he still managed to capture my feelings perfectly in his own way. "Pretty much."

He dropped his hand and rested his arm on the back of my seat. "Well, if it makes you feel any better, I remember what we were talking about that night and I'm _still_ just as confused as you are."

"That can't be true."

He nodded. "But it is."

"You do realize I'm not leaving this car until you explain, right?"

I was now feeling more confused than ever and between the both of us, he was the only one who could shed some light on what happened that night. From what I gathered, it was obviously some kind of catalyst to the years of hatred our relationship had endured.

"I didn't come to your house that night to argue," he began. "I just wanted to talk, to get you to finally open up about whatever was bothering you… but then you completely blindsided me with how emotionless you were. It was something I'd never seen before—not from you." He turned away from me and stared out the windshield. "Look at it this way… I meet one of the most amazing girls I've ever encountered in my entire life. She's gorgeous too and she doesn't even know it."

He glanced over and grinned boyishly as he noticed my blush. The smile disappeared sooner than I would have liked, a solemn frown reappearing in its place as he went back to watching the rain. "Three months. We talk every day for nearly three months… and then it's like she disappears. She doesn't give me a reason, she just begins pulling away."

He was speaking about me in the third person, as if I wasn't there that night, which I found oddly fitting considering I felt like that girl he knew was a completely different person—a mysterious enigma entirely separate from myself.

"What did I say that night?" I stared at my lap. "To push you away I mean."

"Lots of things, but the one I couldn't get past was the only one that worked." He tipped his head to the side and smiled, but there wasn't any happiness or humor in it. "You said I was just like my father."

_Stupid girl. _My thoughts were probably senseless and irrational to anyone who couldn't understand what it felt like to be so disconnected from your past, but I was genuinely annoyed with this girl Edward spoke of—it was easy to forget we were one in the same when she said such ridiculous things. How could I have told him something so awful? It simply wasn't true.

"But you're _nothing_ like your father."

"You know, I'm beginning to think that you were right. Maybe I am..." He spoke in a troubling tone, the defeated acceptance coating his voice left a twinge in my chest. I didn't want him thinking that way, especially not because of something foolish I told him years ago. He had to know how wrong he was… how wrong _I_ was. I took hold of his face and forced him to look at me.

"No," I whispered fervently, hoping he could see how much I meant it. "You're not."

He grasped my wrists and lowered them gently. "We can debate about that one later."

_No, we'll settle this now. _I clutched onto his jacket and pulled, bringing his mouth to mine in a hard kiss filled with conviction. His lips were warm and inviting, far too tempting for their own good, but I broke contact before either one of us could get carried away. This wasn't the time or place for that.

He rested his head against mine and licked his lips. "What was that for?"

"For insulting me," I told him matter-of-factly as I released my grip and pulled away.

He chuckled and fell back in his seat. "When did I insult you?"

"When you implied that I would ever be with a guy like your father. I think I have better judgment than that, don't you?" My eyes softened. All joking aside, I _needed_ him to know how much I regretted what I'd told him especially that soon after his father's... _indiscretion_. The wound was fresh and intentionally tearing at it in the way that I had was cruel. "You'd never hurt me, Edward. I'm not sure why I told you that back then—I'm hoping we'll both find out soon—but I don't need to remember why I said it to know I didn't mean it."

He thought about what I said and sighed.

"You really believe that?"

"Yeah, I do." Unlike him, I didn't need to think about how I wanted to respond. "You should too."

When he remained quiet and didn't easily agree with me as I had hoped, disappointment struck. I thought I'd really gotten through to him, but he was still unable to accept what I told him as the truth. I didn't know what was going on with him, but I'd figure it out soon... and then I'd fix it. He was an amazing guy and his father's actions had no right to haunt him in the way that they obviously were.

"We should head back inside," I advised. The clock on the dashboard told me the lunch hour was nearing its end. We'd have plenty of time to sort through all of this at a later time. "Look, don't worry too much about what happened back then, okay? It's in the past and obviously I've forgiven you."

"Yeah…" He didn't sound too convinced. It annoyed me, but we didn't have the time to continue this conversation. He didn't believe me? Fine. I would just have to show him how different he was from Carlisle.

I was about to get out of the car when I remembered something. Without a word, I punched his arm. He glanced down at the spot where I'd hit him and stared at me in mock hurt. "I thought we were past the abuse thing? Can't we stick with the oral punishment? Ingenious alternative," he teased. When he saw my frown—though it was really more of a pout—he rolled his eyes with an amused smile. "Alright, tell me. What did I do now?"

"That whole 'we need to talk' thing? _Never _do that again," I warned with a pointed look.

Edward decided to speak with his actions. He leaned across the console, kissing me with everything he had. By the time he pulled away, my thoughts had been turned into a giant pile of mush and judging from the smirk on his face, that had been his goal from the start.

"My apologies," he breathed against my lips. I groaned, not wanting to leave while knowing I had to.

"I leaving. I'm leaving!" With a level of self-control I didn't know I possessed, I pushed him away. He laughed. "Wait two minutes before following me." I told him as I opened the door and braced for the rain once more.

.

.

.

I found Alice and Rose chatting about something animatedly. When I reached their table Alice glanced up first and Rose threw a baby carrot at her. She scowled, but said nothing and returned her gaze to me.

"What did I miss?" I asked as I sat down.

Rose grinned widely and stage whispered. "Alice has a crush."

"I do not have a crush! That sounds so juvenile."

"You _are_ a juvenile, Honeycrisp."

Apparently I had missed quite a lot. I raised a brow in question and turned to Alice. "Um… Honeycrisp?"

"Because I'm from New York City—The Big Apple? She's been throwing out random apple varieties ever since you left. She seems to be particularly fond of '_Honeycrisp'_,"she explained with an eye roll. "She thinks she's clever."

"I am clever."

_These two._

I chuckled at their banter and brought us back to the topic that really held my interest. "So who's the lucky guy?"

"No-one. She's batshit crazy," Alice gritted the word 'crazy' out slowly while glaring at Rose. They both engaged in a silent battle, with one of them shooting daggers and the other smirking knowingly. Unfortunately for Alice, she was in a losing battle and Rosalie was more than happy to divulge information—she flashed a devious smile.

"It's Jasper."

I nearly choked on the brownie I had stolen from Rose's tray. "Jasper? As in Jasper Whitlock—the one who practically lives in the band room?"

Rose cleared her throat and pointed subtly from beneath her chin. My eyes traveled to my left where I noticed the boy in question. He was sitting on top of a table in the back of the lunchroom with a moderately sized group. Most of them were members of the school's alternative crowd—the typical artsy kids and musicians—but there were also several others from different social circles. They sat watching, almost transfixed as Jasper and another boy strummed their guitars.

I returned my attention to Alice and noticed that she too was intrigued by the impromptu show. Either she didn't care or she was completely unaware of how obvious she was being. She was practically spellbound. _Poor girl… I can relate. _

I fought a smile and popped the last brownie piece into my mouth. As I finished chewing, I spoke nonchalantly to Alice. "Guess he decided to make a rare appearance." She didn't reply. Her gaze was still locked onto Jasper. As his playing came to an end, he set aside his guitar while his friend continued. That was when one of the girls who had been watching slid over next to him. She was smiling brightly and he leaned in to whisper something in her ear, causing her head to fall back in laughter.

A huffing sound tore my attention away from the pair. I stared at Alice who now had a stony look on her face—she was jealous.

I knew who the girl was of course, and I also knew that she was absolutely no threat to my infatuated friend, but that didn't mean I couldn't have a little fun before I told her all of this.

"She's pretty, isn't she?" She answered with a glower in the girl's direction. Rose began laughing, nearly choking on her water. I had to take a moment to breathe until my own urge to laugh diminished. When I felt like I could speak again without ruining things, I continued. "Her name's Max."

Unsurprisingly, she scoffed. "Her parent's gave her a guy's name? How fitting."

_Oh Alice… I'm sure Jasper wouldn't be pleased with that. He loves that girl._

"No, no. Max is a nickname," I informed her politely. "Her full name's actually quite beautiful—almost as beautiful as her. It's Maxine…"

"_Whitlock,_" Rose finished for me. She made sure to exaggerate every syllable as the surname left her lips. "They're siblings you dork."

I turned back to Jasper and his sister. Alice's eyes were so clouded with envy that she wasn't paying attention to the details that really mattered. She didn't take notice of their identical honey blonde hair color or the similarly shaped brown eyes they both had. Max was a year younger than Jasper and the rest of us, but it was impossible to miss the resemblance between the young girl and her older brother.

"You're right, Honeycrisp," Rose agreed as she munched on a carrot. "You don't have a crush… you're obsessed! Look at you, already plotting to kill the guy's baby sister so that you'll have him all to yourself."

Alice developed a sudden fascination with her half eaten pasta. She began to jab the penne repeatedly with her fork. _Okay, enough. _I nudged Rose's leg under the table and told her to stop.

With a sympathetic smile, I slid closer to Alice.

"He's a nice guy," I told her honestly. "Smart too. I've had him in all of my advanced classes since seventh grade."

She continued to push around her food with her fork, but I was happy to see a small smile on her face. I finally saw the confident and fearless girl returning as that smile turned into a grin. With absolutely no shame, she caught Jasper's eye and waved. He seemed unsure of what to do with her brazen greeting—it was comical.

_Jasper and Alice._

They seemed so different at first glance. His style was laid back, with his shaggy hair and tees covered in band names you'd never heard of. Often times he looked like a member of an indie rock group himself. Alice on the other hand was always put together; her fashion sense was bold, eccentric and attention grabbing. He had one of those quiet souls while hers sang loudly to a tune all its own. Different, definitely… but could they work—possibly.

I normally wasn't one to play matchmaker, but something told me these two had potential. _You should do it. Introduce them._ The idea seemed more and more tempting by the second. What was the worst that could happen? If they hit it off, they would turn into one of the cutest couples Forks had ever seen and if they didn't… well, then they could at least end up as friends. Jasper was impossible to dislike so I wasn't exactly worried about any animosity developing.

As I was about to ask her to follow me over there, Rose leaned over the table and brushed a hand across my shoulder. She rubbed her fingers together, staring at them with knitted brows. "You went outside?"

Panic rose in my chest, holding onto my nerves with a death-grip as I tried to keep my relaxed facade from crumbling to pieces. _There's no reason to freak out_, I reminded myself. She wasn't in interrogation mode; Rose had simply asked a boring old question. Her eyes weren't radiating suspicion, if anything she looked curious—that was it.

_See, nothing to worry about. Calm yourself down._

She took a sip of her water and awaited my response.

"I was…" _Excuse. Think of an excuse! _I shrugged and blurted out the first thing that came to mind. "I was helping Mrs. Cope."

"Mrs. Cope?"

"Yeah. You know, the secretary?"

Rose rolled her eyes. "I know who the woman is. I just don't understand how that would involve going outside—especially in this weather."

"I was leaving the office when I spotted her outside… she was struggling with a box full of things while trying to hold up an umbrella, so I helped her out." _That was nice! You're getting too good at this. _I lifted my shoulders defensively when she didn't immediately make a comment afterwards, thinking that my lie might have sounded more convincing in my head. "What, was I supposed to ignore her and keep walking?"

To my relief, she laughed and held up a hand. "Relax, I was just wondering. Feel free to help all of the little old ladies you want."

I laughed with her. It came out sounding weak and a little more forced than I intended. Rose didn't seem to notice though and if she did, she said nothing about it as she finished her lunch.

"I knew it." We both turned to a smiling Alice with curious expressions.

"What is it?" I asked. She didn't meet my eyes when she answered and continued to stare at something over her shoulder.

"The sketch you showed me yesterday," she said. "There was something so familiar about it, but I couldn't figure out where I'd seen it."

_My sketch?_

There wasn't anything in the room that I would have drawn. I was outside the day before and my sketchbook was filled with mostly nature related drawings. As I tried to find the source of her attention, it suddenly hit me. _Oh no… no, no, no. _

I hadn't noticed his entry, but Edward was seated a few tables away, close enough to get a very good look at his eyes. Yesterday she had asked me if the eyes I drew belonged to someone I knew and I blatantly lied. I never thought she'd be able to pick them out of a crowd! My sketch was clearly too lifelike and unknowingly, Alice had the potential to ruin everything for me in a matter of moments.

If Rose found out I'd sketched Edward, she'd know. She'd know I had been hiding things from her and it wouldn't be long before the secrets tumbled out into the open.

"You drew—"

"That flower mural over there!" I blurted out with a tight-lipped smile. My gaze bore into hers, desperate eyes begging for her silence. "Yeah, it caught my eye."

Her smile fell and she closed her mouth.

Rose was staring at us, but never got the chance to make a comment about our odd exchange. The bell's shrill ring filled the room and she cursed. "Oh shit! I still need to get my Calc book." She was up and throwing the rest of her tray away before we could blink. "I'll see you art dorks after sixth."

When she left, I turned to Alice who still remained silent. She made no move to get up.

"You just lied to her—we both did," she stated while staring at the table with a deep frown. When she raised her gaze to meet mine, I swallowed thickly and nodded.

"I'll explain during class… I promise."

"You better." That was all she left me with before she too left. I sat there while the room continued to empty out. It was true: _all lies catch up eventually_.

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